“And of course, being Starlight Glimmer, she picked the most convoluted magical means of going there?” Discord asked innocently. He turned to Starlight. “Haven’t you heard of a road?”
“They’re cursed,” Starlight huffed again. “Everything bad that can possibly happen to them does. Same for anypony around them. They’re only safe near me because of my protective—”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Discord waved his paw dismissively. He glanced at Scootaloo. “You. The little scowly one with tiny wings. You seem very emo right now. What’s going on?”
Scootaloo was surprised to find her eyes filling with tears. She felt all her stress and fear bubbling up as if it suddenly needed to get out.
“What’s going on? We’ve been attacked by Timberwolves, our friends are pony zombies, and we have this curse on us, so we can’t even get to our families and friends for help. Anypony besides Starlight who gets close to us gets hurt. And without Starlight we wouldn’t even have made it this far! Princess Luna says we’re supposed to be the Defenders of the Livewood, but I don’t think we can do it on our own. I don’t wanna let down all of Equestria!” Scootaloo took a big breath. She looked around at the others. They were all staring at her, wide-eyed.
A ding chimed from another room.
“Ah! That’s my spinach puffs. I’ll go get those and give you a minute to process… all that.” Discord, now wearing a flowery apron, floated into the next room.
“I didn’t know you felt that way,” Apple Bloom said quietly.
“You’re always so confident.” Scootaloo sniffed. “I felt as if I’d be letting you down if I told you how worried about all this I was.”
“You think I’m not worried?” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “I have no idea how we’re supposed to protect the Livewood. I was sure Luna made a mistake!”
“I thought the same thing!” Scootaloo exclaimed. She was relieved she wasn’t the only one.
“I don’t think that,” Apple Bloom said, looking back and forth at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “But that’s ’cause I got the two of you standin’ next to me.”
“But, Apple Bloom—” Scootaloo began. Apple Bloom shook her head.
“We got that bogle outta the Schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle faced off against Timberwolves twice. You stood up to your biggest fear. We’ve fought all kindsa crazy, and we’re still standin’. So if Princess Luna says we got what it takes, I believe her.”
Scootaloo leaped onto the couch between her two best friends, grabbed them with her hooves, and squeezed tight.
“You guys are the best friends a pony could ever ask for.” Scootaloo smiled. She still had no idea what they were going to do. But she would follow these two fillies anywhere.
“Ahem.” The three fillies turned to see Starlight smiling at them.
“Oh. Hey, Starlight. We kinda forgot you were there,” Apple Bloom said, grinning.
“I noticed.” Starlight smiled. She turned to Scootaloo. “I was only trying to protect you back there. But you three are pretty resourceful. I have no doubt that with or without me, you would have eventually broken Auntie Eclipse’s curse on your own.” A loud clatter caught their attention. They turned to see Discord, his spinach puffs scattered on the floor.
“Auntie Eclipse? Now, there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”
“You know her?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Frizzy mane? Laugh like a cragadile? Oh, we are well acquainted. She actually thought she could capture me and force me to do her bidding. Spoiler alert: She didn’t. But that shriveled-up excuse for a pony has been messing with magic since before I was turned into stone!”
Scootaloo’s mouth dropped open.
“But… you were turned to stone by Celestia and Luna thousands of moons ago,” Apple Bloom pointed out.
“How old is she?” Scootaloo asked.
“How should I know? I wasn’t very nice back then. Didn’t get invited to birthday parties.” Discord snapped his claws, and the spinach puffs grew legs and marched back onto the tray. He picked it up and offered it to Sweetie Belle.
“No, thanks.” She shuddered.
“If that’s true, then Auntie Eclipse really is as dangerous as the three of you said she was.” Starlight looked meaningfully at Discord. “All the more reason to get back to Twilight quickly?”
“Oh, I see!” Discord drawled dramatically. “You expect me to point you in the proper direction out of here.”
“It would be the friendly thing to do,” Starlight said through gritted teeth.
“Mmm-hmm. And we’re no longer worried about the curse a centuries-old witch put on the three of them?” Discord motioned to the Crusaders. “I’m sure sending three cursed fillies to the six most powerful ponies in Equestria couldn’t go wrong. At. All.”
“Maybe you could go tell our sisters and the others what’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked Discord hopefully.
“That’s… I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” Starlight said, surprised.
“It didn’t involve you showing off all those fancy powers of yours, so why would you?” Discord smiled innocently. He turned to Apple Bloom. “I, of course, could go tell them everything.” His eyes briefly darted to Scootaloo. “But then you would have even more ponies rushing to your rescue. And as a… friend… I wouldn’t want to get in the way of a young filly’s personal growth.”
“What does that mean?” Scootaloo asked.
“It means he’s not being helpful,” Starlight said, glaring at him.
“You mean the way you’re helping by being so overprotective about this curse?” Discord snapped his talons. The room stretched out, separating Starlight from the Crusaders.
“No!” Starlight yelled.
“The curse!” Sweetie Belle screamed.
“Hold on, y’all!” Apple Bloom closed her eyes tight, waiting for something bad to happen. Scootaloo couldn’t believe Discord would put them in danger like that. She knew he was annoying, but he was supposed to be a good guy now!
Scootaloo looked around. Nothing was happening. They seemed fine. She waved a hoof in the air. No wasps, no rain. No storm clouds.
“You guys”—Scootaloo trotted around in a circle, making sure—“I think… I think the curse is gone?” The others watched her warily. Then they also started waving their hooves.
