"Now hold on, what are you telling me? I got some weird mushroom growing on my food?" Artery Blocker growled as he sat at a table with Twilight and Wrought Shield. "That is a load of manure!"

"I conducted tests and other experiments, and the spores found on your food match the description of the ones in the book I have with me." Twilight said setting the book down on the table and opening it to the page with the picture of the spore. "I was very thorough with my work."

Looking at it the picture, he rolled his eyes and got up. Closing the book with a rude slam, he slid it back towards her and turned to the staff that were present.

"Listen up, which one of you knows where my dad is?" He asked receiving confused or shy glances. "Well come on! Spit it out!"

"Excuse me," Twilight said making the flustered pony turn to face her. "You're the one who ordered the ingredients. We have your signature and the bills to prove it."

"My signature?" He said gritting his teeth. "Why that no good old stallion. I never sign any of the orders, I just cook the food. If you want to talk produce, you'll have to find my dad." He said making her and the guard share a skeptical look. "Don't believe me? Ask any of the staff."

"You could have bribed them to tell us that, or even threaten to take away their jobs if they tell the truth." Twilight said earning another eye roll. "Could you please stop that? It's very rude."

"Yeah, well there isn't a law about being rude, so suck it up princess." He said. "And as for your little theory, we're all out of the job until we can pay for more ingredients. Ingredients that vacuum cleaner sucked up like it was his last and first meal."

"Do you know where we could possibly find your father then?" She asked losing her patience. 'Note to self: Tell Eris he insulted Sunshine twice in one sentence.'

"You could try the usual pick-up spot," Artery Blocker said shaking his head. "The old guy owes me for the hospital bills, my dental, and the ingredients as far as I care. That mare-sounding thing's boyfriend can forget about the bits. I gave up after I got knocked out. Speaking of that, you know how that happened?" He asked.

"Where is this pick-up spot?" Twilight asked ignoring his question. "What times do you get your produce?"

"Like I said, I cook the food, I don't bother with the orders." He said leaning back in his chair. "Can we go home? Or do you want to punch a few of my teeth out too?"

"I'm not at liberty to answer that question." Twilight said shouldering her saddlebags. "Do you have any idea where your father might, be?"

"Like I said, no... well, he might be on one of the back roads by the town trying to meet whoever it is who delivers the produce. Just go up North and search the roads there."

"Thank you, for whatever help you've been." She said sliding in her chair. "What does your father look like?"

"Tall, skinny, and red as a chile pepper. You can't miss him." Artery Blocker said crossing his fore-legs. "Now can we go to whatever families we have?"

"Yes, you all may," Twilight said. But I may call any one of you later if the investigation requires it."

The staff quietly went out the door after Twilight and Wrought Shield had left, leaving Artery Blocker alone. Running his tongue over where his three teeth had been, he set his head down on the table and glared at the wall.

Hearing a creaking noise and feeling a small amount of dust on his nose, he wiped that off and looked up. The ceiling was unusually dipped above him, and for a moment the weight shifted. Watching the mass move, he jumped out of the way just as the panel began to crack and split dropping a pencil-necked, red, disoriented stallion onto the floor.

Staring at his father, he felt a vein pop up in his neck as he ran out the doors and saw Princess Luna and Princess Twilight standing there. Once they saw him their faces went from smiling to a neutral grimace, standing there panting he pointed back at the doors.

"My dad just fell through my ceiling." He said. "Ask him whatever you want."

Twilight, running in stopped part way inside to look at the red stallion sprawled across the table she was just at, Luna looking over her shoulder, was staring at the hole in the ceiling as she approached.

"Sir?" Twilight said. "Sir? Can you hear me?"

"Y-Yeah... I can." He said sitting upright only to fall off the table and onto his back. "Forgot I was on a table."

"You do know what crimes you face currently, correct?" Luna asked wiping some dust off her black and white striped long sleeve shirt and than checking her black pants for anything.

"Crimes?" He said fixing his eyes on them. "What are you talking about? I was getting rid of the mice in the ceiling."

"Not the mice," Twilight said. "The bad food you ordered from the Griffon Highlands. It had a rare fungus on it that made seven ponies sick."

"Griffon Highlands? Fungus?" He said crossing his eyes in thought. "No, No, I don't know a thing about that. You can ask my son though, he usually handles all the orders and shipments. I knew there was a reason he kept meetin' that griffon fellow by the town."

"Are you saying he was the one who ordered the produce?" Twilight asked as the skinny stallion was standing up. "Is this his signature?" She asked pulling out the clipboard.

"Oh, yeah, that's his alright." He said nodding. "Nowadays I can hardly see a thing if it isn't bigger than me or right in my face. Where is he anyway? I need to tell him that barn owls ate all the mice."

Looking back, Twilight didn't see Artery Blocker behind her. Going outside she looked around and saw no sign of the green pony anywhere.

"He's gone." Luna stated as she looked around. "Do not fret Twilight, justice will find him eventually."

"Yeah, it will eventually." She said. "Although, we could tell Eris how he was insulting Sunshine. If she found him... He would, after getting his teeth knocked out, most likely go to the guard for protection. He'll be missing the rest of his teeth but we'll have caught him."

"A marvelous idea." Luna said slapping the younger alicorn on the back. "Come, lets go see how my brother is doing now."

Sunshine's Bedchambers

Sitting with her jacket down to her elbows, Eris looked over at Sunshine who had been reading for the past hour and a half. His eyes were beginning to get heavy-lidded and he kept frequently yawning. When he set down the book and was falling asleep upright, she brought his comforter to his chest. He woke up slightly, enough to watch her and thank her.

As his head began to drop, she readjusted her coat and let it simply fall to the floor. Leaning back in the chair she was sitting in, she was going to set his book on the table but a knock came at the balcony doors. Opening them, she saw Luna and Twilight come in giving her strange looks as they passed her.

"Playing nurse, are we?" Luna said giving Eris a small smile while Twilight was oblivious to the innuendo. "Have you given him his medicine?"

"Not. Funny." Eris said blushing at the alicorn's statement. "We've been reading. He tried to escape once, but I put him in his place."

"I bet you did."

"Luna, say another word and I'll turn you into an actual chihuahua with wings and a horn." She threatened making her stop and blush. "So you do remember that?"

"Remember what?" Twilight asked making Luna shoot a glare at Eris. "Was it something before Discord was Eris, like a thousand years before?"

"Yes," Eris said making Luna's blush grow darker. "It was the first time me, Luna, and Celestia met as a group. It was when I was still in my prime, before I had my be-" she stopped when she realized she was rubbing her smooth chin. "Every time. It's like some sick joke."

"What is?"

They all looked at Sunshine who was looking at them from the bed, grinning at Luna while she kept her distance from Eris. Throwing the comforter off, he rolled onto his belly and rested his head in his hooves.

"How goes the investigation?" He asked. "Anything important I need to know about?"

"That pony lied to our faces," Twilight said. "Tried to incriminate his own father, and he insulted you twice in one sentence. Other than that, there's nothing we can do until he turns himself in or begs the guards for protection."

"Why would he beg for protection?" He asked looking at his sister who was staring at Eris. "Eris, is something wrong?" He asked looking at the stiff Draconequus.

"No, nothing is wrong." She said through her teeth and fake smile. "Why? Do you think something is wrong? Is there something wrong with me? No, I feel fine. Nothing is wrong at all."

The three alicorns all moved a few inches away from the distressed goddess. Sunshine, looking past her, saw the balcony doors open. Looking between Eris and his sister, another idea began to form as he looked at their clothes

"Twilight," he said drawing her attention away from Eris. "I've noticed Eris and Luna wearing clothes, why haven't you thought about buying some? Maybe Spike would even like a shirt or two."

"Me?" She said laughing. "I really don't think I need clothes, it seems kind of pointless since we don't normally wear any. Although, Spike may like a shirt. He does complain about cold pains in the winter. Do you have any suggestions Luna?" She asked looking at Sunshine's little sister.

"I'd suggest getting something made of wool, but it's very itchy." She said tugging at one of her sleeves. "It also collects dirt if you get the really bristly wool instead of the smooth, finely sewn wool."

As they began talking, Sunshine, after informing Eris, went to the bathroom. Sitting in there with his ear pressed against the wood, he listened to them talk about clothes, fabrics, and designs. Eventually, Eris joined the conversation offering her own strange designs and foreign materials, and even things that shouldn't me used for clothing.

Cracking he door, he stuck his head out and saw the three females happily chatting away. Opening the door and stepping out, none of them even glanced over at him. Waving a hoof, none of them, not even Eris, stopped to look at him. Smiling, he looked back at the balcony and saw the clouds drifting by.

Slowly moving to the open doors, he made it to the open balcony and, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, felt his wings spread on their own accord. Jumping off the balcony, he let himself fall before catching the wind in his new, stronger wings.

Smiling as he gave them a flap, he was pushed roughly upwards before he got his balance back. Looking at his wings, he smiled and gave a harder flap and again he was pushed upwards. Laughing for a moment as a soft wind caught under his wings, he began spiraling down the tower until he was on the roof of the hall it connected to.

Looking down at the garden, he saw a group of guards meeting with another before passing one another, the statues of past heroes and explorers, and Eris's pedestal sitting bare in a ring of hedges.

Staring at it for a moment, he thought back to how she had been so protective over him, how she cared for, and even so open with him. A feeling of guilt stabbed him in the gut, making his joyous escape turn sour like a lemon.

"Two days is nothing in my lifetime." He sighed. "She's trying her best to help and I'm here, trying to get as far away from her as I can."

Flapping his wings again, he didn't hold back with the effort so he was shot into the air. Flying back up to the balcony, he was setting himself down when he saw Eris poke her head over, an angry glare staring at him.

He didn't look at her, but chose to simply go back to his bed and curl up under the comforter, pushing the book away as he did so. Eris, still flustered at him, softened slightly when she saw the look he gave her before the comforter covered his shoulder, blocking his face from her.

"So, enjoy your flight outside, Sunshine?" She asked tapping her lizard claw on the rug.

"No," he said making her pause briefly. "I felt horrible after I went out. I'm sorry."

"Well," she said, not expecting to hear him sound genuinely miserable for such a little thing. "I... Hope you learned your lesson."

"What lesson?" He asked, turning to look at her before clutching his belly. "Could I have my medicine now, nurse Eris?"

"Yes, just let me get the-" she paused mid-sentence as she looked at the prescription. "So that's what kind of pill this is."

"What? What does that mean?" He asked feeling a sickness in his gut that wasn't from his illness. "Please tell me those aren't for-"

"You don't swallow these." She said shaking the bottle in front of her face. "You chew them with a soft food." She said grinning at the relieved alicorn.

"Oh, thank the sun," he said. "I always hated taking those pills. Whoever invented that method obviously never had it done on their own being."

Luna, looking between the two in confusion, was thinking of the different ways she had recently learned medicine was taken. When it came to pills, her mind ground to a halt when she put two and two together. Putting a hoof to her belly, she was looking better than Twilight, who, looked as relieved as Sunshine.

"Lunch is served," Eris said conjuring a tray with mashed potatoes, cherry jelly, a bowl of peach slices, a glass of water, and a small sunflower that decided to begin dancing around the tray with a yellow smiley face in its black center. Sunshine shook his head in amusement, and taking them spoon, slowly began to eat before Eris grabbed him by the nose and threw the pill in. He coughed momentarily, glared at her while he slowly chewed his food and eventually continued eating.

"So, how is it?" Eris asked smiling as she filed the small feline nails in her paw.

"Good, but it's the only thing I've had to eat in the last two days." He said attempting to pick up a piece of jello only for it to jiggle and fall off his spoon. "The only desert that always irritated me. No matter what you try and eat it with, it always falls off." He said attempting to spear a cube and scoop the half up only for it to fall off again.

"I always enjoyed jello," Eris said making a bowl for herself. "You could just suck it right out of the bowl and force it between your teeth until it's a liquid again. It's like drinking a fruit or desert that's usually not a liquid." As for emphasis, she sucked in a blue cube and swished it around before they could all hear the liquid.

Watching her, Sunshine tilted the bowl and sucked in a few cubes before chewing. Staring dejectedly down at the desert, he set the rest down and moved to the peaches. Spearing one with his fork, he let most of the juice dribble off before biting into it. As soon as the juice in it got on his beard though, the small sunflower took out a napkin from underneath a petal and nearly jumped onto the alicorns' face.

Sunshine just stared cross-eyed at the living plant that was standing on his shoulder with the napkin held between its leaves. Lifting a peach up to his mouth again, he was about to take a bite when the flower began leaning forward. Pulling the fruit away slowly, the flower retreated, holding the napkin like a ring bearer would hold the pillow.

"Eris, could you get this," he looked at the flower that was giving him a suspicious look. "Mannerly flower off of me."

"Not until you're finished eating." She said. "You can skip the jello, cherry liquid always reminded me of that horrible jello mix Fluttershy keeps in the bathroom cabinet." Eris made a sour face, sticking out her tongue in disgust.

"Eris," Twilight said getting the nurses' attention. "You realize that was cherry cough syrup, right?" She asked giving the goddess a skeptical look.

"Is it that nasty stuff that doctors tell you tastes like bubblegum but actually tastes like rotten fruit?" She asked scratching her head. "Or is that toothpaste?"

Shaking her head, Twilight gave a quick farewell before disappearing in a flash of purple light. Luna, instead of teleporting, took off from the balcony leaving Eris to shut the doors again.

Sitting back down, she giggled when she saw her sunflower beating the napkin against Sunshine's face, and Sunshine, with his fore-legs crossed was just quietly staring at it as the flower went mad. At one point, Eris turned the living flower into an actual flower and let the napkin rest on Sunshine's face, covering his eyes.

Blowing it off, Sunshine looked at the flower before taking a gracious bite out of it. Picking a petal out from his teeth, he set that aside and downed the ice water on the tray. Watching as the water filled itself back up, the tray disappeared and the water was placed to the side again.

"I can't say that I'm ever going to be used to having a meal like that again. Especially one with a napkin crazy flower." He said smiling as Eris twirled the remains of the flower in her paw. "It at least tasted good."

"I'm sure," she said. "Well, what do you want to do now?" She asked looking at him with a side look.

"Staying in bed seems to be the preferred idea." He said watching her grin.

"I was thinking a nice stroll outside would be good, but if you want to stay in bed all day, be my guest." She said grinning further when he got a hurt look on his face. "Oh, that's right, you've already had your exercise today. Bed it is."

'I'm never listening to guilt again.' He thought. "We've already finished reading this book, and I know you didn't find it interesting, so what else is there to do?"

"Read a different book?" She suggested getting a head-shake from Sunshine. "What do you have in mind-"

She was cut off mid-sentence when he hit her in the face with a pillow. She blinked twice, looked down at the pillow in confusion and then back at Sunshine who was rolled over on his side. Shaking her head in amusement, she picked up the pillow and hit him in the side, which, in turn caused a noise like water in a blocked pipe to echo in the room. Holding the pillow still, she watched as he suddenly jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom, panic etched into his face as the door slammed shut.

From the noise coming out, she scooted away from the door just as the smell hit her. Putting her shirt over her nose, she went to the balcony doors and opened them, letting a rush of fresh air back in. Leaning on the railing, she fanned her face, trying to get the smell out of her system as fast as possible.

Looking back at the door, it didn't open, but she knew the smell was still coming out from under it. Putting a gas-mask on, she went back in, sitting in her chair as she tried to ignore the sounds coming from the other side.

Waiting for what seemed like an hour, but in actuality was only half of one, she finally heard the sound of hooves hitting tiles. The toilet flushed, and to her worry, Sunshine came out looking close to when he was in the hospital bed; pale, sickly, and he moved with just about as much speed. Watching him try and get onto the bed, he couldn't seem to raise his upper-half up without making a grimace and placing a hoof on his lower belly.

Grabbing him by the shoulders, she picked him up and gently set him on his side. His only response was to shake a little and pull the comforter up to his shoulders.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

He only shrugged before putting a pillow over his face.

Staring at him resting, she scooted closer and laid her paw on his side. He didn't react to it, he didn't show any sign of feeling it, but he rolled towards her when she started gently rubbing his side and then his belly.

"Poor thing," she said. "I bet you feel a little better, right?"

He shrugged, tilting his hoof side-to-side as if the motion would tell her what he meant. Scratching him lightly, he grabbed her paw in a hoof and gently pushed it away. She didn't let go, not until he tried pulling it back.

"You just rest, I'll come back when you need to take your water," she said before conjuring a small bell. "If you need anything, just ring this and I'll hear it."

Setting the bell, on the pillow underneath the one he was using to cover his eyes, she spared one last look at the sleeping alicorn and disappeared.

Smelters Entrance

In a small, compact house-like structure in one of the further parts of the castle, a chestnut colored stallion with a welders mask that barely hid the overgrown black facial hair on his upper lift was sitting back in a chair sleeping. With the welders mask down, anything to have passed him would have thought he was guarding his ores and useless metals, but he was really hiding the fact he was sleeping on an uneventful day at work.

With the mask on, he failed to notice Eris's entrance. The Draconequus though, spotted him immediately after prior knowledge of what he looked about after certain jokes she had pulled on him, and he on her while she was a he.

Leaning down, she lightly rapped his mask causing him to snort and fall off his chair.

"I-I'm awake!" He hollered lifting the mask to look around with eyes that were half covered with more black hair. "W-Who... oh, hey Discord." He said, his surprise turning to a smile before it went back to surprise again.

"Yes, yes," she said rolling her eyes. "I'm wearing clothes. Shocking."

"Yeah," he said disregarding the fact the Draconequus had a gender change. "So, what brings you down here? Chess? Sulfur bombs? Ooh... You want another gold spork with tin tips, don't you?" He asked smiling before she shook her head. "No? Huh. What can ole Furnace do for you then?"

"Do you make house calls?" She asked making the stallion scratch his mustache in thought. "To the two alicorns who live here?" She asked crossing her arms.

"I can, but why the need?" He asked genuinely curious. "Something happen to the princesses?"

"You could put it that way." She said twirling a lock of her hair idly. "Bring your measurement tape and whatever else you need to make regalia fit for a prince."

"Sure, I can-prince?" He said snapping his head toward her causing his mask to fall down. "How long have I been back here? Who's the lucky fella who courted whichever one?"

"No one courted anyone." She said flatly. "Celestia has just been turned into a stallion. He just needs new regalia."

"Well," Furnace said scratching the back of his head. "It'll be difficult, having to go on new measurements, possibly even a new metal for the casting and final mold... I'll see what I can do. But, you may need to do what you did with that one private, you remember him?" He asked laughing.

"How could I forget?" She snickered. "I protected him while you made an armor mold for him, by using liquid metal and pouring it on him. He was so scared that I'd let him get burned that he decided to just wear a pair of over sized boots and a helmet!"

"Yeah, yeah, good times." The stallion sighed. "Give me a minute, I'll be right out." Next Chapter: Ring a ding, ding. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes