Chapter 10

Both the royals sisters stood in silence. Chrysalis held a smirk like she expected that reaction from them. The guard took a step forward.

"While you two make your decision, I'll summon forth our spies." He paused and took a glance at his queen. "If that is alright with you your majesty." The queen nodded and the guard took off flying.

Celestia and Luna watched the changeling take off before Celestia focused on the changeling queen in front of her once more. "...and what would your demands be?" Celestia asked.

Chrysalis smiled. She had them right where she wanted.

"Simple. I would ask for Open Borders between our empires." Chrysalis responded. Luna tilted her head a bit.

"You wish to allow your subjects the right to enter Equestria?" Luna asked. Chrysalis nodded in response as she eagerly face Celestia, who was the only one who had the power to enact this.

Though she already knew her response.

"Chrysalis I will have to reject that offer." Celestia responded. Chrysalis feigned shock.

"I would think that the Princess of Equestria would be more than willing to allow such a simple-" Chrysalis began.

"This is not up for debate at the moment. Perhaps you have another offer in mind?" Celestia asked, hoping for a better deal. Chrysalis put a hoof under her chin and pretended to think.

"Well there is one more offer in mind"

Fluttershy quietly followed the guard to the front entrance. Since she was in the Canterlot Gardens, it took a while for them to reach the entrance. She wasn't paying attention though, she was too busy mentally slapping herself for being such a coward.

"Why couldn't I just click the button?" Fluttershy thought to herself. She had it in her hand! This is the second time she had hesitated using it.

The first time was a week ago.

Regardless, she had come to a conclusion. Next time she saw Discord, she would demand answers from him. If he was half the friend she thought he was, he would answer them truthfully. Otherwise, her friends were right.

She was imagining the scenarios. He would laugh at her? No, he wasn't that cruel. Actually he wasn't cruel at all, he was just very childlike sometimes. That's what she loved about him.

"Fluttershy?" A voice called, snapping Fluttershy back to reality. She just now noticed they made their way inside and were walking down the hallway. She noticed Pinkie Pie hopping over to them with a… Cake?

"Hiiiii Fluttershy!" Pinkie sang with her goofy smile. Fluttershy tried her best to smile back.

"Hi Pinkie. What are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh! So the cooks are taking an awfully long time to finish the food because they said that I was 'distracting them' so I decided I would bake us a cake while we waited but then it turned out to be pointless because they ended up finishing before my cake could finish so now I got this whole breakfast cake that we will need to eat because I-" Pinkie took in a deep breath. "Don't think I can take this home in my mane." She finished. Fluttershy had a look of confusion for a moment before she smiled back.

"I was just escorting Miss Fluttershy back to the main dining room" the guard said with a bow. Pinkie gave a confused gesture.

"But the dining room is back waaaaaaaaaay over there" Pinkie said as she pointed back to where they came from. The guard paused for a moment before looking around and smiling sheepishly.

"I guess I missed it" he admitted. Pinkie smiled.

"It's okiedokielokie! We'll just head back!" Pinkie sang as she began hopping back, Fluttershy following behind. The guard began following but stopped for a moment. His eyes scanned the area around him before he began walking backwards, keeping an eye on Pinkie and Fluttershy until he was out of sight.

"This better be good" The guard hissed as his eyes locked onto a maid that was hidden in a darker corner of the hall. The maid walked forward.

"Our Queen has given us orders to pull out." The maid said. Before the guard could ask, the maid continued. "JUST from Canterlot. That includes you."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, it was the one who was captured?"

The maid nodded. They both proceeded to head towards the exit. "It's a shame, if I was given another minute, I would've gotten a hold of her." The guard grumbled. The maid just shrugged.

"Didn't matter. They came to an agreement so we didn't need the hostage." the maid replied.

The guard didn't understand his Queen sometimes. She was smarter than she let on and he knew this. Why did the Queen even bother negotiating with Princess Celestia? It's not like she was a legitimate threat anymore. When the failed invasion of Canterlot was over and done with, she didn't even seem bothered.

What was she thinking anyways? Leaving her back turned to the only two ponies who could stop her. Why did she send Twilight Sparkle to the dungeons with a powerful Alicorn? Heck she basically left them an open door when she tossed her in there.

The guard could still remember her response when he asked. "We didn't need Canterlot"

He rolled his eyes. Must just be some sort of tactic that he failed to understand. "Careful, you might fry your brain" The maid joked and he responded with a low growl.

"Whatever" he responded before he paused. "Say, who is tailing Discord? I heard the Queen has big plans for him."

The maid gave a confident smile as they finally reached the exit.

"Only our best operative."

"So where's those Chocolate smoothies we were promised?" 'Screwball' asked loudly with an eager tone. Some more shuffling was coming from the kitchen.

"Almost done!" Cherry's voice could be heard. Discord rolled his eyes in annoyance. He planned on only buying some food and playing a few pranks, but now here he was in this pony disguise. Out of boredom he was summoning various objects at the table such as forks, candles, a miniature piano, a dog plushie, and whatever else came to his mind.

The filly looked at the pile of things Discord had summoned. Summoning took a lot out unicorns yet here he was doing it with ease. He really is as powerful as she heard.

At least for now.

"Sorry for the wait!" Cherry said as she trotted back into the room. Discord quickly snapped his tail (somehow) and all the objects he summoned disappeared. Cherry either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge it as she placed two cups on the table. Discord eyed it like it was poisonous and he took a glance inside.

'Screwball' rolled her eyes as she took the cup. "Thanks" she said as she glanced at it for a moment then taking a sip. Her eyes widened as she took another glance down her drinks. "It's… It's…"

"HOLY CHAOS THIS IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE MILK I'VE EVER TRIED" Discord shouted, catching the other two off guard. Cherry smiled in response and 'Screwball' rubbed her head.

"Uh… yeah." 'Screwball' replied. Cherry gave a small laugh.

"Well like I said, I'm using your chocolate milk cloud. I just add some ingredients to bring out the chocolate better." Cherry said. 'Screwball' placed her drink down.

"Wait, does that mean your clouds last forever?" 'Screwball' asked Discord. He shrugged in response and continued to sip down his drink. "Anyways, I think I'll take my drink to go."

Cherry looked surprised. "Oh no. I insist you stay the night. The cloud really helped me out and I can never repay you enough!" Cherry said to Discord, who was focused on his drink. Why was he enjoying it so much? It isn't like he doesn't eat sweets all the time.

Discord took one large sip before gulping it down and clearing his throat. "As much as I'd love drinking this all day, we do have places to be" Discord responded. Cherry was looking desperate.

"Please stay? Just the night and you can be on your way." Cherry said with a sad look. Of course this had no effect on Discord.

"Sorry, me and my dad" 'Screwball' giggled when Discord shot her a look. "-need to be on our way." With that she picked up her drink with the intention of leaving but was halted when Cherry leaped in front of her with her hooves in a praying position.

"I know it's weird, but I feel like something bad is gonna happen if you leave. I-I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to either of you!" Cherry pleaded. Discord couldn't help but think of Fluttershy by the way this pony was behaving. 'Screwball' on the other hand found it annoying if not a bit suspicious.

Discord chuckled. "It's understandable you'd want my handsome presence around for a little longer." Discord joked, Cherry blushing in response. "Though I must discuss this with my… Daughter."

'Screwball' chuckled as both she and Discord headed towards the door. Stopping right in front of it, Discord turned back to the pony making sure she was out of hearing range before turning back to his 'daughter.'

"Screwball I thought we agreed that you were to be my cousin" Discord hissed.

"And I thought I told you my name was Violet." She hissed back.

"Well since you're my daughter then, I decide your name and hence your name is Screwball" Discord retorted as he held his head up with a smile.

"Don't we have better things to discuss?" 'Screwball' asked as she looked back. Cherry looked lost in thought with a worried expression.

"What's there to discuss? This pony is weird and that's coming from the Spirit of Chaos. She does serve a mean smoothie though." Discord admitted as he licked his lips trying to remember the taste. 'Screwball on the other hoof just rolled her eyes.

"So we both agree to leave. Alright that was simple." She said as she turned back to the pony. She cleared her throat about to announce their decision until she heard Discord grunt next to her.

She turned over and Discord was rubbing his head in confusion. "Are you ok?" 'Screwball' asked. Discord continued rubbing his head.

"Call me crazy but it feels like somebody just poked at my brain." Discord said. Before 'Screwball' could respond, Cherry was already in front of him.

"Sounds to me like you have a headache." She said, her voice doused in concern as she gently placed a hoof on his forehead. "It must've been all those things you were summoning before"

Both Discord and Screwballs eyes widened the size of dinner plates. "You saw that?" They asked in unison. Cherry blushed.

"I'm sorry I didn't know it was a secret. B-but i won't tell anypony, besides you need some rest." Cherry assured as she gave him a stern look.

Discord thought again that this pony was like Fluttershy, which made him want to leave even more. He felt the headache increase and he involuntarily groaned in response. Cherry gasped.

"That's it mister Nun'ya! I'm sorry but I refuse to let you leave until you're feeling better." Cherry said as she forcefully began leading Discord towards the stairs to which he showed no resistance to. Screwball stood there for a moment before groaning and following them.

The spell must be taking effect quicker than she thought.

Sometimes Fluttershy wondered if she was doing the right thing. Ok maybe all the time. She would constantly doubt herself no matter what her common sense or friends told her. She remembers back in Cloudsdale being too afraid to tell her parents how she got her cutie mark because she didn't think they would like what her talent was while at the same time feeling guilty for hiding her cutie mark.

Though she never had that feeling for animals. She always knew exactly what they needed and how they needed it. It was her talent and she took pride in it. It was the one thing she could do without second guessing herself or feeling anxious over the details. It was what she loved doing.

"Hey everypony! I brought cake~!"

When she took in Discord, she always thought of it like taking care of one of her animal friends. It was why she stood up to her friends to side with Discord when they first released him. It was why she was so patient with him even when being tricked. All animals, when raised in a hostile environment, would not open themselves. It made them feel like prey rather than the predator. Fluttershy assumed that was the case for Discord. Almost like her bear Harry.

"Well DUH. I baked it myself!"

The only time Fluttershy wasn't sure about her decisions regarding Discord was when he froze the pond and told her to ice skate with him. Besides that, her special talent had guided her for a long time. That is until Fluttershy realized something.

Discord isn't like he animal friends. Discord was his own being, unlike any other pony before him. She couldn't feed him carrots and he'd gladly obey, she couldn't use positive reinforcement to teach him to use his magic for good. He had his own ideals and goals that no amount of pampering in the world could change. He was his own pony (figuratively speaking).

"Ooooh~ the food looks delicious! C'mon Fluttershy I'm starving!"

When Fluttershy realized this, she expected their friendship to take a turn for the worse. Though she found that it actually went better. He constantly visited, wrote her letters, and occasionally brought her gifts. She still had the Discord-lamp he gifted her.

"Fluttershy?"

That's when she realized something. When Discord was with her, he had a habit of never planning things out. He would do as he pleases and only stop to think when he wasn't sure if his prank was good enough. He was the complete opposite of Fluttershy. He would NEVER second guess himself.

"Uhhh helloooo? Anypony there?"

She felt like she could be herself around him. His attitude and habits began rubbing off on her and she found herself more confident with him around. She knew he didn't judge her because he always did worse. She wondered if he did that on purpose just so she could feel relaxed. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that she loved being around him.

"...Fluttershy?"

She loved his attitude.

"Fluttershy!"

She loved him.

"FLUTTERSHY!"

Fluttershy jumped up with a squeak. She finally took in her surroundings and realized she was in the dining room with her friends all sitting there staring. Pinkie looked a bit confused, but still had a smile on her face. Fluttershy quickly straightened out.

"Y-yes Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked. If Pinkie's smile was a poker face, then she had the best in Canterlot.

"I was saying we should sit down! I'm starving!" Pinkie sang. Rarity, with a small look of concern on her face, nodded in agreement.

"We are all famished. I haven't had my breakfast yet." Rarity replied. Fluttershy followed Pinkie to their seat at the table, the others still eyeing Fluttershy a bit. She hoped for any kind of distraction, she didn't care what it was. Fluttershy still had Discord fresh in her mind and any questioning and she felt she would snap.

"Say Fluttershy, are you-" Twilight began. She stopped mid sentence when a loud growl echoed through the room effectively stopping whatever train of thought Twilight had. The girls giggled as Fluttershy blushed a little.

"Looks like somepony is hungry." Applejack said with an amused tone. She then looked at the food the chefs left a few minutes ago. "And now that Fluttershy and Pinkie is here, ah' say we should dig in!" Applejack said.

"No need to tell me twice!" Rainbow agreed as she grabbed a hold of her sandwich and took a bite out of it. Rarity rolled her eyes and more gently took her own bite of her food.

Soon enough they all began eating their foods with idle chatter. Fluttershy felt grateful that she was the shy one of the group because it gave her a reason to stay silent through the conversation. Occasionally adding in something to let the others know she was still there, for the most part she was lost in her thoughts once more.

All of them being about Discord. More precisely the button.

This was the second thing she had ever second guessed about Discord. Her mind was telling her to tell her friends about it. She had always relied on her friends and why was now any different? She knew the answer.

Because Discord was also her friend.

Both Celestia and Luna were silently walking back to the castle. The meeting with the Queen of the Changelings already had a lot of unknown variables, but neither of them knew what to make of this. Not only did the queen willingly pull out all her spies from Canterlot, but she also attempted two diplomatic offers that was essentially hinting at peace for the two empires.

Neither knew if the queen was true to her word, but both offers seemed reasonable. Though Celestia knew it could take another century before she could take either of those offers.

Equestria isn't the open society that Celestia wished it to be. In fact it was quite the opposite. Ponies would freak out over anything that wasn't a pony with the only exception being Griffins and that was only in some parts of Equestria. This was the reason why most of the kingdoms were mostly of the same species such as the Dragons, Changelings, and so forth.

Her ponies were fragile for good reasons though. Ever since the Windigos went extinct, the ponies of Equestria had learned to be more cautious. Plus the tempered Dragons and the attempted invasion of the Changelings didn't help. If she allowed either of the two deals, it would essentially allow her ponies to be exposed to the Changelings.

Celestia had a reputation to maintain. She knew that if she always attended to her meetings and allowed visits from everypony, they'd be more willing to follow her. It gave them the sense of power without giving them too much power and in turn they remained loyal.

If Celestia started allowing Changelings into Equestria, they would be rumors circulating. Silly rumors that wouldn't have any base nor evidence, but would still cause a little bit of doubt. It would be enough for civil unrest and a possible rebellion.

She simply could not take that risk. After all, she couldn't even convince them to give Discord a chance.

"Sister" Luna started. Celestia gave her sister a smile to indicate she was paying attention. Luna continued.

"We do not know why you passed up an opportunity for peace with the Changelings." She began, but returned the smile. "But we also know you always did what is best for our kingdom. So we won't question you."

Celestia couldn't have asked for a better sister. "Thank you" she simply stated. She heard her sister yawn, she was up past her regular sleep hours, but she was getting used to it now. "Come sister. I'm sure Twilight and the others are wondering where we are."

Author's Note = I wrote most of this chapter in like 2 days on google docs. If the quality of the chapter is worse or better please let me know. Also imma try (emphasise on the word 'try') to be less dialog heavy on my chapters just because I feel like stories are better when it's more descriptive.

Lastly since I wrote this on my phone, I expect there to be a few autocorrected words placed in here. Please let me know if you see any! :D

Constructive criticism is welcomed! Also (as a reminder) yes there's a reason why Discord is ignoring said button. Next chapter you'll figure out why.

Have a beautiful day you beautiful person!