After Sweetie Belle made a mess in her shop, Rarity cleaned up the mess. "Won't you at least let me help you clean up?" Sweetie Belle asked her.
"No. You've helped me quite enough," Rarity told her clearly upset about the mess.
"I'm sorry, sis. I just thought that if I could help, I might find my special gift and finally earn my cutie mark." Sweetie Belle looked at her blank flank in sadness.
Rarity sympathized with her sister, she really did but she had a job to do. Rarity set the orange ball of yarn down and then said, "I understand. It's just that... I need this time to fill this order without any... complications." Sweetie Belle looked down sadly as Rarity finished cleaning up. "Okay, all done. Now back to work. I've lost a lot of time and I cannot have any more interruptions." Rarity sat at the sewing machine ready to work but the doorbell rang. She groaned. "What now?!"
Fluttershy and Discor came in with a basket on the floor beside them and a blanket tucked over the contents. "Oh! Sorry. I thought the OPEN sign meant you were open, but…I-I must have been mistaken."
Fluttershy was about to leave but Rarity gasped and said as she walked to them, "Fluttershy! Discord! Forgive me. I was so wrapped up in my work that I forgot you two were bringing Opalescence back from her grooming."
"No worries, Rarity. I've left her there in the basket." Opal jumped out of the basket and purred against Fluttershy's leg.
"Even though she was a pain in the neck to deal with."
Fluttershy looked at Discord and scolded him, "Discord!"
"What!? She was." Fluttershy rolled her eyes but smiled at her friend.
"Ooh, she looks great. I just don't understand how you're able to do it." Rarity leaned down to Opal who was rubbing her head against Fluttershy's foreleg and purring contentedly. "I can't get near her without getting a swipe from her claws." Opal tried to scratch her nose with a complimentary snarl before purring against Fluttershy's leg again. "Did you use…the Stare on her?"
"Oh, no! I wouldn't! I couldn't! I-I don't really have any control over when that happens," Fluttershy told her. Discord remembered that Fluttershy told her about her stare. She rarely used it and it was only for emergencies.
'Even though I've never seen the stare, it would be pretty interesting to see,' Discord thought to himself.
"No. I'm just good with animals. It's my special gift, you know." Fluttershy bent down to Opal who purred against her head.
"Well, you should have a picture of Opal as a cutie mark instead of those butterflies."
"I think her cutie mark is perfect the way it is," Discord said causing Fluttershy to blush. Sweetie Belle smiled at an idea she got.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh! Oh! Oh! Maybe I can be good with animals too!" Sweetie Belle said as she ran to Opal. Opal, who seemed unhappy with the suggestion, swiped at her mane, severing one of its curls. A big nasty smile stitches itself across her fluffy white face. Sweetie Belle said, "Or not." Sweetie Belle looked up and saw Discord for the first time. "Oh, I'm so sorry, your highness. I didn't see you." She bowed to him.
Discord had gotten used to the bowing but unless he was doing his royal duties, he didn't care for it. "You can call me, Discord. It's fine, and you don't have to bow down every time you see me.
Sweetie Belle got up and said, "Oh, okay." She noticed his horn and then asked, "Hey, how come your horn is blue?"
Rarity nudged her sister and scolded, "Sweetie Belle! Don't be rude!"
"What? It was just a question."
Discord chuckled a bit. "It's okay Rarity. I'm used to that question. Sweetie Belle, I was just born with it like my red eyes."
Rarity smiled sadly at the duo and told them, "I'm sorry I can't invite you to stay and chat, Fluttershy and Discord. I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew with this order."
Confused, Sweetie Belle said, "But you're not eating anything."
Rarity walked to her sister and told her, "No, Sweetie, it's an expression. It means that I've taken on more work than I can handle. I've got twenty of these special robes to make tonight. They're due in Trottingham tomorrow morning." Rarity picked up a piece of glittering yellow fabric with her mouth. Fluttershy gasped happily. Rarity held the material up on her foreleg. "See? I've lined them in this special gold silk. It took so long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don't you?"
Discord nodded. "Indeed, not bad Rarity."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "These are lovely, but twenty? By tonight? How will you get it all done?"
Unsure how to answer, Rarity said, "Well, I, uh…"
Sweetie Belle smiled and then said, "Oh, oh, oh! Maybe I could…" Rarity glared at her, making her stop. "…just……just stand over here and watch."
Rarity smiled at her friends and then said, "I'll manage."
"Well, maybe we should get out of your mane so you can work," Fluttershy told her and just before she and Discord left, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed past them to Sweetie Belle.
"Hi, Fluttershy! Hi, Discord! Hi, Rarity!"
"Hello, uh, girls," Rarity said softly.
"Hey, Sweetie Belle!"
Sweetie Belle perked up and said excitedly, "Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!"
"You ready for tonight?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yep! Cutie mark planning session is a go!" Sweet Belle nodded.
"Tonight is the night we each try to find our own special talent!" Apple Bloom told them.
"Even if it takes us all night!" Scootaloo said confident they would do it.
"I'm ready. You ready?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Very ready."
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SLEEPOVER AT RARITY'S! YAY!" The force of their yell was enough to shake the whole building and everypony in it, Fluttershy, Discord, and Rarity all winced at their yelling.
Discord rubbed his ears and thought, 'Why do kids always have to be this loud?'
"Aaand…look what I made us!" Sweetie Belle put on a red cape with a blue patch that displays the yellow silhouette of a caped, rearing filly. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo approved happily. "
What does that patch on your cape mean?" Fluttershy asked looking at it.
"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!"
Fluttershy flopped her ears down along with Discord. "Ow! Would you not scream so loud please?" Discord asked rubbing his ears.
"We're on a crusade! A mission!" Scootaloo told her.
"To find our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom finished.
"Yep, and look. I lined 'em with this special gold silk. It took so long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don't you?" Sweetie Belle showed off the fabric impressing her friends.
However, Rarity recognized the fabric immediately. She rushed to her gold silk, pulled it free with her teeth, and exposed three rectangular holes that Sweetie Belle had cut out. "Sweetie Belle! What have you done?! That was the last of the gold silk! Oh, now I'll have to make more! Oh, I hope I can make more. I'm gonna have to work all night! Which means…sorry, girls. I'm afraid the Crusader sleepover is canceled."
"What?!" Sweetie Belle said shocked.
"I just won't have any time to watch you if I want to get these robes delivered on time."
"But-"
Rarity interrupted her sister and said, "No "buts" this time. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, it's just the way it has to be."
Discouraged, the trio put their heads down in sadness. "Awww…"
Fluttershy then proposed an idea, "I, uh…I suppose I could take them for the night."
The girls perked their heads up and looked at Rarity with hope in their eyes. "I couldn't ask you to do that," Rarity told her.
"Oh, it's no problem at all."
Worried, Rarity asked, "Have you met my sister and her friends? A problem is all it would be."
Feeling confident in her abilities, Fluttershy said, "Did I have a problem with Opal? You've seen how well I handle small creatures."
Thinking about it a bit more, Rarity said, "I suppose that's true, and I do have a lot of work to do." F
luttershy then said, "Come on, it'll be fun."
"I assure you, they're quite a handful," Rarity reminded her.
"These sweet little angels?" The trio smiled innocently as if they had done no wrong.
"Come on Rarity. They're just young fillies, it'll be a piece of cake. Besides, I'll be with Fluttershy the entire time and everything will go smoothly."
"Well…all right."
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SLEEPOVER AT FLUTTERSHY'S COTTAGE! YAY!" The girls ran out as fast as they could to Fluttershy's cottage.
"So cute. Wait for me!" Fluttershy zipped after them.
Before Discord left, he said, "See you later Rarity!" Rarity couldn't help but worry, the Crusaders were sometimes a bit much, even for her, she just hoped Fluttershy and Discord could handle them.
The Crusaders ran ahead of Fluttershy and Discord. Fluttershy had so many ideas of what they could do. "Oh, won't this be ever so fun? We can have a nice little tea party, and braid each other's tails, and sit quietly and color, and tell each other fairy tales, and..."
"I could show them a few magic tricks," Discord added.
"Oh, that would be lovely."
The CMC ran past Twilight Sparkle in a giggling mini-stampede that left her spinning in place. Once she regained her balance and her eyes re-focused, she saw them goofing around at a well. "Hello, Fluttershy. Hello Discord."
"Oh! Hello, Twilight," Fluttersshy said.
"Where you off to?" Discord asked her.
"I'm heading to the Everfree Forest, to Zecora's, to get some of my favorite tea."
At the sound of that, Fluttershy shivered, "The…th-th-the Everfree Forest? Uh, you'll be careful, won't you?"
"Of course. How about you two? What are you doing with the girls?" Twilight asked them.
"Rarity has a big order to fill tonight, so I volunteered to take the girls over to my cottage for a sleepover. And Discord's gonna help me." Fluttershy landed on the ground as she talked and Twilight was impressed.
"Wow! Sounds like everypony has their hooves full today. Taking care of those three fillies all by yourself? And I know I've never seen Discord taking care of kids before."
Discord felt a bit offended by that. "Hey! I know I'm not the most responsible pony in Equestria, but I can take care of a few kids."
Twilight smiled at him and said, "Hmm I don't know, your aunt, Princess Celestia, once told me that you couldn't keep an eye on one foal when she was in the meeting with a foal's mother."
Discord blushed at that. "That was a long time ago, I've matured since then! It was a young pegasus, I couldn't fly. She could."
Unconvinced, Twilight said, "Mmmm-Hmmm."
"Oh Twilight, Discord's gonna be with me the entire time," Fluttershy reassured.
'I'm not a little anymore. I can do it! I'm a powerful draconequus. It takes a lot to strike me down.'
"You sure you can handle it?" Twilight asked them, she knew neither had much experience with kids.
"What? These sweet little angels? They'll be no problem at all." The CMC rushed to Discord's and Fluttershy's side and smiled innocently.
"Besides, how hard can babysitting be?" Discord asked, not knowing how hard it truly was.
Later that evening, Fluttershy and Discord took the CMC to her cottage and it was quiet... until the girls started to explore the cottage.
"Wow!"
"Look at this place!"
"What's that?"
"Are those chickens?" The girls looked at every animal and everything they could in Fluttershy's cottage.
Discord and Fluttershy looked at each other worried. "No... problem at all," Fluttershy whispered nervously.
Sweat beaded down her face and Discord asked, "Okay, girls, uh, what should we do?"
They ignored the question and Scootaloo said, "I'm gonna get my mark first!"
"Girls?" Fluttershy said trying to get their attention but it didn't work.
"Nuh-uh!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
"Should we..." Fluttershy started.
"I am!"
Discord then said, "Girls, okay, now settle..."
"I'm staying up all night!" Scootaloo shouted as she jumped on the dog bed.
"Me, too!" Apple Bloom shouted as she joined her friend.
"Me, three!"
"I-I know you're excited, but... girls, oh, oh, careful with the..." Apple Bloom was about to cause a chair to fail but Fluttershy rushed to fix it. "oh, ah, girls..."
Discord helped Sweetie Belle out of a birdhouse as Fluttershy asked, "So! What do you wanna do? Play a game?"
"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Scootaloo shouted.
"And we want to crusade for our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom shouted once she was next to Discord.
"And, and, and we, um... yeah, what they said!" Sweetie Belle shouted from atop Fluttershy's head.
"Mmm, I don't know... how about a nice quiet little tea party?" Discord nodded in agreement.
"Or... we could go adventuring in the Everfree Forest!" Scootaloo suggested.
"Yeah!"
Before the CMC ran out, Fluttershy stopped them in front of the door. "Oh, no! The Everfree Forest is much too dangerous. It's filled with far too many strange creatures."
"Yeah, take it from somepony who lived there for years, you don't want to do there," Discord told them.
"But you two could go with us and we could catch those creatures. We could be, umm... creature catchers!" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader creature catchers!" The CMC shouted against shaking the room and nearly causing Fluttershy and Discord to become deaf.
Scootallo grabbed a carpet and a basket and stood on Apple Bloom. She put the basket on her head and covered herself and Apple Bloom to make a dangerous creature. "Arrrr! I am a dangerous creature from the Everfree Forest! Rrrarr!"
Sweetie Belle was confused at first then she started to play the game. "Halt, dangerous creature of the Everfree Forest. I am Sweetie Belle, the creature catcher, and I'm here to catch you!"
"You can never catch me! I am far too powerful and dangerous!" Scootaloo told her.
"You cannot run from me!" The girls started to chase each other back and forth while giggling.
"Girls, that's not such a..." Discord started but they didn't listen.
"Now, girls, how about we do some nice coloring?" Fluttershy was starting to realize that this was starting to become more than she could handle as she sat down.
'Okay, maybe this was too much for Fluttershy and me to handle.'
"Come back, dangerous creature, so I can catch you!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
"Never!" Scootaloo shouted.
"Careful... you don't..." There was a crash in the corner of the room. "...break anything." The girls stopped their game as Discord and Fluttershy walked to them.
"Sorry, Fluttershy. Sorry, Discord," Sweetie Belle started.
"Yeah, sorry," Apple Bloom told them.
"I guess we aren't creature catchers."
"Oh, girls, it's okay. Fluttershy and I..."
Before Discord could finish Apple Boom popped up and said, "I know! We could be Cutie Mark Crusader carpenters!"
Fluttershy could barely say, "C-carpenters?" As the CMC rushed to get what they needed. They returned with hammers and play doctor's equipment to fix the table.
"Hammer!" Apple Bloom said.
"Hammer." Scootaloo picked up a hammer and passed it to Sweetie Belle who passed it to Apple Bloom.
"Hammer!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Hammer." Scootaloo picked up a hammer and handed it to Sweetie Belle.
"Hammer! ...Hammer." Scootaloo picked up a hammer and before Fluttershy or Discord could stop them the girls started their construction.
Once the CMC finished, it didn't look like a table. "Um ... that doesn't look like a table," Sweetie Belle noted.
"We were making a table?" Scootaloo asked.
"Somepony needs to put this thing out of its misery," Apple Bloom noted.
"We are definitely not Cutie Mark Carpenters," Scootaloo told them.
"Who wants a picture of a hammer on their flank anyway?" Fluttershy removed the destroy the table noting to get it fixed later.
"Girls, how about a game?" Discord suggested as he led the girls to the couch.
"A game?" Apple Bloom asked. Fluttershy smiled at the idea.
"It's called Shhh!"
Confused, Scootaloo asked, "What's that?"
"Well, it's a game about who can be quiet the longest. Sound fun? I'm the world champ, you know. I bet you can't beat me!" Fluttershy smiled, took a deep breath, and stayed quiet. It only took a few seconds for the girls to cave.
"I lose!"
"Me too!"
"Me three!"
The girls ran around the room again searching for ways to get their cutie marks. Fluttershy released her breath and sighed. "Okay, now what can we do?" Scootaloo asked.
"Ooh! How about Cutie Mark Crusader coal miners?" Apple Bloom suggested as she emerged from the chimney.
"Yeah!" The others went appeared from the chimney excited for their next adventure.
"No!" Fluttershy shouted.
"Alright, girls listen up! We are all gonna settle down. We would not be trying things to get your cutie mark! We would not be breaking things! And for the love of all things chaos, we will not shout 'Cutie Mark Crusaders something!' Is that clear?" Discord said, losing his patience.
"Awww…"
Fluttershy wanting to bring a calmness to the room said, "I think what Discord means is it's time for bed, don't you think? Aren't you excited to get all toasty and warm in your snuggly-wuggly little beds?"
"Snuggly-wuggly? But we have more crusading to do!" Apple Bloom told her.
"We've got plans!" Scootaloo added.
"And capes!" Sweetie Belle finished.
"Uh, okay, um, maybe the crusading can wait until morning…when it's light…and not so…dark?" Fluttershy told them as she and Discord led them to her bed.
The CMC were on Fluttershy's bed not feeling tired but they wanted their cutie marks. "How are we gonna find our special talent in our sleep?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Maybe you'll have a lovely little dream about your special talent," Fluttershy told them after blowing out the candle.
"Yeah, my mother, Princess Luna, says dreams can help guide you to your desires or something like that. She knows about the dream realm more than I do," Discord told the CMC.
"But we're not even tired!" Scootaloo told them. F
luttershy covered the girls with the blanket and said, "How about I sing you a lullaby?" The girls nodded.
Hush now, quiet now,
it's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
it's time to go to bed.
As Fluttershy was singing, Discord blushed softly. 'Wow, she sings like an angel.'
The girls started to yawn except for Sweetie Belle who recognized the song. "I know this one!"
Fluttershy then said, "Oh, how wonderful! Why don't you sing it with me?"
Sweetie Belle nodded as she coughed. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked shocked then smiled as they covered their ears. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head! Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed!"
Sweetie Belle started singing it louder and faster than Fluttershy was used to. "Okay, Sweetie, that was..."
Fluttershy started but Sweetie Belle ignored her. "Driftin' off to sleep, the exciting day behind you! Driftin' off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you!"
"Sweetie Belle!" Discord shouted stomping his hoof down but the young unicorn didn't listen to him.
"Hush now, quiet now, lay your sleepy head! hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed!" Sweetie Belle's voice was so loud it scared the chickens in the coop into a full panic.
"What is that?" The CMC looked toward the half-open window as Fluttershy and Discord finished putting everything back on the mantelpiece.
They looked back to the bed and saw the girls were gone. "Girls!"
"Where did they go now?" Discord asked as Fluttershy looked out the window.
"Fluttershy, your chickens are on the loose!" Apple Bloom shouted.
"I wonder what could have caused that," Sweetie Belle said out loud.
Sarcastically, Discord asked, "Yeah, gee I wonder who?"
"Don't worry, Fluttershy! The Cutie Mark Crusaders will handle this!" Scootaloo told her.
"Cutie Mark Crusader chicken herders! Yaaaaay!" Sweetie Belle shouted then the girls rushed to get the chickens.
"No! It's time to go to sleep now!" Discord shouted.
"I don't think that's a…come back!"
The girls chased the chickens around the fenced area as Fluttershy and Discord ran outside to get them back in. "Girls! Stop it right now!" Discord told them.
"Please…come on, girls, the chickens are fine…oh…girls…"
One of the chickens landed on Discord's head, flapping its wings and freaking out. "Hey! Get off! Get off!" Discord tried to get it off but it wouldn't leave.
"Girls!" Fluttershy shouted stopping everypony in their tracks even the chickens.
Scootaloo and one chicken peeking out from beneath the ramp that leads to the coop entrance. Eyeing the one still perched on Discord's head, Fluttershy clicked her tongue and the chicken dropped to the ground, then she gently nudged several back toward the coop. Discord sighed with relief as she smiled. "Thanks, Fluttershy."
"Come on……in you go…" Instead of going in, she gets a chorus of uncooperative cackling that annoys her considerably. With no warning, the meek pegasus leaned in and with eyes wide open, she gave chickens a surprisingly intense gaze. Her chickens had frightened little squawks, and they slowly back up the ramp as the Crusaders watch, dumbstruck, while Discord is smiling in amazement.
'Wow, that is one intense stare.'
She gives them a final one-eyed dose to persuade them to enter the coop, where three briefly get stuck abreast in the entrance before popping in. Once that was done, Fluttershy returned to her normal sweet demeanor. "There are some good chickens. Okay, you three. Isn't it about time you got into bed?"
"But..." The girls had so many questions but they weren't going to get any answers.
"Bed. Now," Discord said sternly.
"Please?" Fluttershy asked softly.
They dropped their heads sadly, as Fluttershy smiled at them.
Fluttershy and Discord led the girls back to bed ready to get some sleep. "Alright, so, no more crusading for tonight, all right?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, Fluttershy," Scootaloo told her as she rested her head.
"We promise, Discord," Sweetie Belle said as she rested her head.
"Good night, Fluttershy. Good night, Discord," Apple Bloom said as she rested her head.
"Okay, good night," Fluttershy said as she left the room.
"Night, girls," Discord said as he left the room not knowing that the girls were going to brew more trouble as they were gone.
The duo rested on the couch from the long evening. "Boy, who knew taking care of fillies would be challenging?" Discord said as he prepared some tea for them.
"It really wasn't that hard. I mean, all we needed to do was just show them who's in charge. Nothing's gonna get past Fluttershy. Good with animals, good with kids." The two didn't even see the CMC leaving the cottage. After a few minutes, Discord decided to start a conversation
"Hey, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy lifted her head and said, "Hmm?"
He bit his lip then said, "That was a beautiful lullaby you sang earlier."
She smiled and then said, "Thanks, my Mom used to sing that to me and my little brother when I was little. Most ponies sing it to their little ones to help them sleep."
Discord smiled at that. "Really? My mom didn't sing me that. She sang a different one."
This intrigued her because everypony she knew sang or heard that song. "Really? What was it?"
Discord put the tea bag in the pot as he said, "Oh, I don't know the real name. When I was little, I called it the Moon Lullaby."
Curious, she asked, "Can you sing it?"
Discord blushed as he poured the tea into the cups. "I-I don't know… I'm not a good singer like you Fluttershy."
"Please, I wanna hear it anyway."
Discord sighed as he set the tea down. "Oh alright." He cleared his throat and looked at the moon out of habit.
Distant moon so big and bright
Softest silver glowing through the night
High atop the mountain gold
Sun unseen
The world is cold
Here I wait
And here I stand
Early morning
Northern Hour hand
Studying in solitude
Looking for a hidden clue
I wish to see this world through my own eyes
To calm the elders and silence their cries
Because of you
I now gaze up and sing
The Lullaby of The Moon.
Once Discord finished, Fluttershy was amazed. Discord never sang in front of her and the lullaby was beautiful. "Wow Discord…that was beautiful."
Discord looked at her with a smile. "Thank you, Fluttershy. My mom used to sing to me that every night… before she..." Discord trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Thinking about that day all those years ago was hard.
Fluttershy flew to her friend and hugged him. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine how hard it was to lose her." Fluttershy misses her parents when she isn't home but she can see them when she wants. She couldn't imagine not being able to see her mom again and Discord lost his mom for 1000 moons. She couldn't imagine how much it hurt to lose her.
Discord smiled and said, "It's alright, my dear, she's back now thanks to you and the others. Which I am grateful for. There is truly no way for me to repay you for that." He did a small bow after releasing the hug which caused Fluttershy to blush but she smiled at him, nevertheless. The room was quiet, too quiet. "Is it me or is it too quiet?" Discord noted.
Feeling alarmed, Fluttershy said, "It is!"
Fluttershy flew up the stairs and gasped, while Discord ran up the stairs. "They're gone!" Discord shouted, worried out of his mind. "Girls?" They ran outside to find them but there wasn't a trace.
"Girls?"
"Where are you little tikes?" Discord searched in a different part of the yard while Fluttershy looked in her chicken coop.
She noticed that one of her chickens was missing. "Elizabeak! She's missing! Girls?" Fluttershy looked out and saw the broken fence and the chicken feet tracks.
"Uhh Fluttershy…you might wanna come and look at this!" Discord showed her torn cape from one of the girls and their tracks.
"Oh, no! They must have gone looking for my missing chicken! Which means…they must have gone into..." Fluttershy gulped in fear.
"…the Everfree Forest!" Fluttershy and Discord finished.
"Those girls have really done it this time! They've really bitten off more than they can chew. Oh just like me. I never should have offered to watch them," Fluttershy said worriedly.
Discord put a comforting hood on her and said, "It's not your fault my dear, I should have suggested that we couldn't offer to watch them. Oh, Twilight was right, I wasn't ready to take on fillies."
"Don't blame yourself, Discord. Right now, we need to find the girls before they get hurt." Discord nodded in agreement. They walked to the edge and Fluttershy stopped. The forest terrified her.
"We'll do this, together," Discord told her. Fluttershy smiled and they rushed in to find the girls.
"Girls!" Fluttershy gulped in fear as she called out for them.
"Girls!" Discord called out. Fluttershy huddled down with a whimper as the wind kicked up. Discord noticed her discomfort and told her, "It's alright, my dear, it's just the wind. And if something tries to touch or harm you, I'll protect you I promise."
Fluttershy looked at Discord as he gave her an encouraging smile. She nodded with a small smile. 'Get hold of yourself Fluttershy. Discord's with you and nothing is going to happen to you. Just put one hoof in front of the other.'
Fluttershy walked forward and stepped on a fallen branch, which caused her to yelp. "What was that?" She started to back up in fear.
"It's okay, Fluttershy, it's just a..." Before Discord could finish she backed up into a tree, which caused her to scream and run away. "Fluttershy, come back!"
As she was running, Fluttershy saw a familiar shape. "Twilight? Is that you?" Fluttershy slowed down as she caught up with her friend and Discord wasn't too far behind. "It is Twilight." Discord would admit, he was surprised to see Twilight out this late. Fluttershy felt an instant relief, now there were three of them to search for the girls.
"Oh Twilight, it is you! Thank goodness you're we need your help. The girls are out here somewhere and we're afraid that they're..." Fluttershy cut herself off once the moonlight illuminated the unicorn's figure to give her a full view of it. The unicorn has been turned to stone her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in surprise. Fluttershy and Discord gasps in terror. Discord could feel his heart pounding and his breaths were growing shorter. His thoughts were racing, he couldn't speak, he could barely breathe. Were his ears ringing? He couldn't tell.
"What's happened to you?" Fluttershy touched Twilight's stone form as she toppled over as she gives a startled cry. "Oh no! If you've been turned to stone, it must mean…oh no! The girls!" Fluttershy was about to fly off but she heard short quickened breaths. She turned to Discord who was having a panic attack.
"Discord? Discord! What's wrong?" Discord didn't answer her. His pupils were small and only focused on Twilight's stone form. Fluttershy's panic worsened when she saw Discord scared, but she didn't have time for this nor did the girls. She needed to help him. 'His fear!' She remembered what happened a few weeks ago when they faced the dragon.
Fluttershy sat in front of her friend and held his hoof. "Discord, stay with me. I know you're scared but I can't do this without you. Take a couple of deep breaths. In... out... in... out..." Discord slowly began to follow Fluttershy's deep, calming breaths.
"Feeling better?" Discord nodded. "Thank you, Fluttershy. What's going on?" He asked, his nerves were still high but it wasn't as bad.
"No time to explain we got to find the girls now!" Discord nodded in agreement. The girls' safety was their top priority. Before leaving, Fluttershy looked at the Twilight statue and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back for you." With that, they ran off to find the girls, before it was too late.
The girls were fighting in the forest as they followed the trail of chicken feet to see if it was their special talent then they heard Fluttershy and Discord calling out for them. "Girls! Girls!"
"Fluttershy? Discord?" They heard Sweetie Belle shout. They rushed to their side, happy to have finally found them.
"Fluttershy, what...."
"Girls, we have to leave the forest at once!" Fluttershy told them.
"But we haven't found the chicken yet," Sweetie Belle told her.
"There's no time for that. There's a cockatrice on the loose." Fear showed on Fluttershy's face as she was Discord pushed them out of the forest.
"A cocka-what-now?" Apple Bloom said confused.
"A cockatrice. It's a frightening creature with the head of a chicken and the body of a snake. Now, come on."
"The head of a chicken and the body of a snake?" The girls ignored that and moved forward.
"That doesn't sound scary. That sounds silly," Scootaloo commented.
Discord rushed in front of them and told them, "Girls, if Fluttershy says it's serious, then it's serious. just because a creature sounds silly or looks silly, doesn't mean it's not dangerous."
"Well, if I ever saw one of them cocka-thingies face-to-face, I'd laugh at how silly it was."
Fluttershy joined him and told them, "No! Never look on in the eye. If you look a cockatrice in the eye..."
Elizabeck came out of a bush running in fear. "The chicken!" The girls ignored them again as they rushed after her. They ran after Elizabeck, calling out to it but they stopped when they heard the growl of an animal. They looked around and Sweetie Belle said, "There it is." Another chicken popped out of the bushes confusing the girls.
"Two chickens?"
"I-I thought only one escaped," Apple Bloom exclaimed. Sweetie Belle made a grab for the first chicken but she jumped out and ran away. Apple Bloom tried to grab the second one but it ducked into the bushes. It growled as it slithered out showing it wasn't a chicken but a cockatrice. The cockatrice flew out and crowed at them freezing the girls in their tracks. Elizabeck ran around clucking in fear then the cockatrice landed in front of her and with one look from its gaze, Elizabeck turned to stone. The chicken landed deep in the ground and once the cockatrice spotted its next prey the girls ran off screaming in fear.
Scootaloo tripped on a rock and the others fell on her and they instantly saw a petrified Twilight. "See? Now we have to..." Fluttershy and Discord's sudden arrival startled the CMC into a scream. "Girls, please…girls…listen to me girls I uh…please!" The girls ran in random directions with their eyes closed as Fluttershy tried to get their attention.
Discord looked off in another direction and gasped as his eyes popped in horror. The cockatrice emerged from the bushes and started to close in. Worried for the girls' and Fluttershy's safety, he used his horn to blast the cockatrice away. The attack missed but it was enough it get its attention. "Hey! Leave those girls alone!"
"Discord! No!"
Discord shot magic at the cockatrice again. "Fluttershy! Get the girls and get outta here!"
Fluttershy refused to leave him behind. "No!" Discord continued to blast the cockatrice until it spotted Fluttershy looking fearful as she screamed. The cockatrice went after her, now not caring about Discord.
"Look out!" Discord pushed Fluttershy out of the way but he accidentally looked the cockatrice right in the eyes which slowly turned him to stone. He started to panic. He turned to use his magic to make it stop but it was useless. "Fluttershy!" Discord turned to Fluttershy with fear etched onto his face as he turned to stone.
"Discord!" Fluttershy covered her eyes and told the girls, "Girls! Behind me now!" The CMC went behind Fluttershy while the cockatrice was approaching its prey. Taking a risk, Fluttershy glanced behind her and risked a backward glance to make sure they were following orders. The girls' eyes were wide open and full of fear. Fluttershy inadvertently turned her eye toward the cockatrice and started to feel angry at him since he turned Discord, Twilight, and Elizabeck into stone.
"You!" Flutershy used her stare on the cockatrice risking it all for her friends. "Just who do you think you are going around and turning others into stone!?" The cockatrice was caught off guard but looked her in the eye. Fluttershy slowly began to turn to stone. "You should be ashamed of yourself! I have half a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man!"
The cockatrice begins to get nervous with a shocked gasp. He landed on his feet but undeterred he tried to get Fluttershy petrified. The process was still going slow. "Now you go over there and turn Elizabeth and my friends, Twilight and Discord, back to normal. And don't ever let me catch you doing this again!"
The stone transformation, which had spread the entire half of Fluttershy's body, cracks away like an eggshell. As the cockatrice was now on the ground terrified of the yellow pegasus. "Do you understand me?"It can only manage a timid nod and sound of agreement, then it runs off to turn Discord, Elizabeck, and Twilight back to normal. "Are you girls all right? Discord and I were so worried."
"Yeah, fine," Scootaloo told her.
"Thanks to that stare and Discord using his magic to protect us," Sweetie Belle added. Discord was freed from his stone prison as he fell to the ground.
"Thanks, Fluttershy," He told her with a smile.
"You're like the Queen of Stares. You're the...."
"Stare Master!" Fluttershy nearly blushed at that.
"We're sorry we snuck out of the house and into the forest," Sweetie Belle told her as Discord joined Fluttershy's side.
"Yeah, we'll listen to you and Discord from now on," Apple Bllom told them.
"We promise."
Discord and Fluttershy smiled at them. "Oh, you do, do you? Well, you'd better, or I'll give you... the stare." Fluttershy did a fake stare at the girls and they all laughed at the small joke.
"Thanks, girls and keep your heads up high, it may not be now, it may not be tomorrow, but one day, you all will earn your cutie marks." Fluttershy nodded in agreement. The cockatrice can be seen flying away behind them as Twilight joins the group dazed.
"What... what happened?" Elizabeck can be heard clucking in fear behind Fluttershy as the cockatrice flies away.
After resting at Fluttershy's cottage, the next morning, the girls played while Fluttershy and Discord explained to Twilight what happened with the cockatrice. Twilight was even writing a letter to Princess Celestia. "And that's when it brought you and Discord back from stone," Fluttershy told her.
"Yeah, not my best moment. Thanks again, Fluttershy. If you weren't there, I don't know what could have happened," Discord told her.
"This is gonna make quite a letter to the Princess," Twilight told them. "I was wrong about you. Both of you. You certainly do know how to handle those girls."
Fluttershy and Discord glanced at each other and then back to Twilight. "Well... I wouldn't go that far," Discord told her.
"Hmm? How so?"
"I assumed that I'd be just as good with kids as I am with animals. Boy, was I wrong."
"Yeah, I mean, we both worked together and I have handled difficult royal duties but we both learned the hard way not to bite off more than we could chew."
Twilight wrote that down in her letter, rolling up the scroll once she was done. "You and Rarity both." Rarity soon arrived to get the girls. "Good morning, Rarity," Twilight told her.
"Did you finish all those capes?" Discord asked. Rarity then said with a tired smile, "Just delivered them. I have to admit, if you and Discord hadn't come along, I might not have." Rarity gave them a small hug and said, "Thanks again."
"Won't you stay for some tea?" Fluttershy asked.
"I really must get back to the shop and clean up. Girls, get your things. Time to go." The girls ignored her as they continued to play. Twilight, Discord, and Fluttershy smiled at each other as Rarity tried to get the girls under control. "Girls, time to..." The girls continued to play with each other while ignoring Rarity. "Girls, your things! Girls, it's time to..." Rarity then shouted, completely frustrated, "GIRLS!"
Discord and Fluttershy walked to Rarity and Fluttershy told her, "Allow us." Fluttershy cleared her throat and said, "Girls." The girls stopped playing and ran to Fluttershy and Discord.
"Yes, Fluttershy. Yes, Discord."
"You called."
"Go and get your things. It's time to go. Rarity is here to see you home," Discord told them.
"Of course, Discord. Of course, Fluttershy. Right away," Sweetie Belle told them as they ran off to get their things.
Rarity was shocked that Fluttershy and Discord had the girls under control. "H-how did you... how did you two do that?"
Fluttershy winked at Twilight then told her, "I guess I'm just as good with kids as I am with animals."
The girls left with their things thanking Fluttershy and Discord as they ran off. Rarity smiled nervously then said, "Uh, speaking of which, I could use your help with Opal, Fluttershy."
"Of course. How about later today?" Opal meowed loudly and Rarity turned to her side, Opal clinging to her coat with her claws.
"How about now?" Twilight joined them and they all laughed, knowing that this would be the easiest thing they had done since last night.