Chapters It was lunchtime at Fluttershy’s cottage and the yellow Pegasus was busy feeding her animals. She filled her birdfeeder with fresh seeds, gave some acorns to her squirrels and chipmunks and gave a fresh fish to her bear.
When she was done with that, Fluttershy went inside her home to find her pet rabbit Angel sitting next to a small table with a napkin around his neck and impatiently banging the table with a fork and knife.
“Don’t worry, Angel. I didn’t forget about you,” Fluttershy said.
She then went into her kitchen and came out seconds later, holding onto a bowl of salad that was topped with whipped cream, asparagus, tomatoes and orange slices. Fluttershy then placed the salad on the table next to Angel.
“And this time, I didn’t forget the cherry,” she said as she placed the said fruit on top of the salad.
Angel licked his lips as he eyed his lunch. He then grabbed the bowl and devoured the salad in just a matter of seconds. When he was finished, the small rabbit gently dabbed his mouth with his napkin. He then let out a small burp which caused him to hold his mouth with his paw and blush.
“You’re excused,” Fluttershy said with a chuckle.
At that very moment, there was a knock at the door. This confused Fluttershy since she wasn’t expecting anyone. She opened the door and saw a huge box wrapped in blue wrapping paper with a yellow ribbon on top sitting on her doorstep.
“I wonder where this came from,” Fluttershy said to herself. “It’s not my birthday.”
Fluttershy went up to the giant present and slowly removed the ribbon. Just then, the present burst open and out came a certain mixed matched creature that Fluttershy knew all too well.
“Discord!”
“Hello, my dear Fluttershy,” said Discord as he picked up Fluttershy and embraced her in a big hug. “And how is my favorite yellow Pegasus today?”
“Just fine,” said a confused Fluttershy as Discord put her down. “What brings you here?”
“What? Is stopping by uninvited a bad way of being a good friend,” asked Discord.
“Oh, not at all,” said Fluttershy. “Please, come on inside.”
Discord followed Fluttershy into her cottage. When Angel saw him, he quickly jumped onto the couch and snarled.
“Relax, my little puffball,” said Discord as he patted Angel on the head. “I brought my own seat.”
Discord then snapped his fingers and in a flash of light, he was sitting in a blue lounge chair with his feet on a small red footstool.
“So what brings you…” Fluttershy started, but before she could finish her sentence, her stomach began to growl.
“Somepony’s hungry,” Discord said in a sing-song voice.
“Guess I am,” said Fluttershy. “I’ve been so busy feeding my animals that I forgot to make my own lunch.”
“Allow me,” said Discord.
He then got up off his chair, which then grew a pair of wings and flew out the front door. Then his footstool came to life and started barking like a dog before running out the same door.
Discord snapped his fingers again and after another flash of light, Fluttershy found herself sitting in front of a table with a white silk table cloth covering it, along with a lit candle and a wine glass on top of it. Another flash of light appeared on Fluttershy’s left side and in its place was a pony wearing a tux and playing soft music on a violin. Discord then walked up to Fluttershy, wearing a fancy waiter outfit and holding onto a silver platter dish with a lid on top of it. He placed the plate on the table in front of Fluttershy and lifted the lid. On the plate was a daisy sandwich with hay fires and a small salad on the side. Discord snapped his fingers again and a bottle of apple juice appeared in his hand. He popped the cork and poured the juice into Fluttershy’s wine glass.
“Bon Appetit,” said Discord in a fake French accent.
Fluttershy picked up the sandwich and took a small nibble of it. Discord could tell by the way Fluttershy’s eyes widen and her jaw dropped that she enjoyed it. Fluttershy wolfed down her sandwich in a matter of seconds.
“You really were hungry,” said Discord with a chuckle.
“That was the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten,” said Flutershy. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do,” said Discord. “After all the trouble I caused.”
Fluttershy was a bit confused at what Discord just said. She then looked up at her friend and saw that his signature smile was gone. Instead, Discord had a big frown on his face and his ears had drooped.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“You know. The whole Tirek incident,” said Discord.
Fluttershy let out a small gasp as the thoughts of that unfaithful day returned to her mind. It was the day that Tirek tricked Discord into betraying her and her friends by convincing him that they would rule Equestria together. But after Tirek drained the magic out of the ponies, he declared that he didn’t need Discord’s help anymore and drained his magic as well. Fluttershy then remembered how remorseful Discord was over the whole thing.
“It’s okay, Discord,” said Fluttershy as she walked up to him and gently rubbed his lion paw. “I already forgave you, remember?”
“No. It’s not okay,” said Discord as he gently pulled his paw away from Fluttershy. “You showed me nothing but kindness. You were the only one who considered me a friend and the only one who truly believed I had reformed, and how did I repay you? By turning my back on you and your friends all because I was stupid enough to believe Tirek’s lies. He had me believe that power was more important than friendship and it almost cost you, your friends and everypony in Equestria their magic.”
Small tears started to appear in Discord’s eyes. He quickly snapped his fingers and a tissue appeared in his hand, which he used to dab the tears away before he continued.
“In fact, that’s kind of the whole reason I came here. I wanted to come here and think of a way to apologize to you for throwing your friendship away like that.”
A small smile soon appeared on Fluttershy’s face as she went up to Discord and wrapped her front hooves around his waist.
“Oh, Discord, it’s okay,” she said. “I know you didn’t mean to betray me like that. And you already made it up to me and my friends when you gave Twilight that medallion. It was the final key we needed to open the harmony box and release the thing we needed to defeat Tirek. And we will always be grateful for what you did for us.”
Discord couldn’t help but smile at what his friend had told him. He still felt a bit guilty for what he did, but he knew that at least he was forgiven.
“But if you want, there is one way you can make it up to me,” said Fluttershy as she let go of Discord.
“Just name it,” he said.
“How would you like to spend the day with me?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m supposed to meet Rarity at the spa today and I would be honored if you would join me.”
“I would love that,” said Discord. “I could use a relaxing day at the spa.”
“Well then, let’s get going. Rarity would be pretty upset if we are late,” said Fluttershy as she and Discord walked out of the house.
Fluttershy and Discord made their way through Ponyville.
“We just have to pick up Rarity at her shop and we’ll be on our way to the spa,” said Fluttershy.
“Sounds good to me,” said Discord.
As he and Fluttershy were walking, Discord couldn’t help but see other ponies staring at him. Some of them were giving him angry glares while others looked at him with terrified looks on their faces. Discord could also hear some of them whispering to one another.
“Is that Discord?”
“What’s he doing here?”
“He’s probably up to no good as usual.”
“Why the princess set him free I’ll never know.”
“What’s your name, little one?” he asked.
“My name’s Noi,” the filly replied.
“That’s a lovely name,” said Discord.
“Thanks,” said Noi. “I think so too.”
“Noi, don’t talk to him,” the pony said. “That’s Discord.”
“But Mom…” Noi began.
“Not buts,” interrupted the mother. “You don’t know what he’s capable of. He would probably use his magic to hurt you.”
“I would never do that,” said Discord, a bit offended.
“Yeah, right,” said the pony. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I know about all the awful things you did. Like when you tried to turn this town into your own personal funhouse. You may have other ponies fooled by saying you’re reformed, but I don’t believe any of it.”
“Come on, Noi. We’re going home.”
Fluttershy, who saw the whole thing, walked up to Discord and was simply heartbroken when she saw the sad look on his face.
“Are you okay?” she asked her friend.
“You shouldn’t let something like that get to you,” said Fluttershy.
“But it’s true,” said Discord. “How can I expect everypony to forgive me after all the terrible things I’ve done?”
“Hey!” Discord shouted at the stallion. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going you…”
“THIEF!”
“What happened, Granny Smith?” asked Fluterhy.
“That no-good whippersnapper stole my purse,” the elderly mare said.
That’s when Discord and Fluttershy remembered that when the stallion ran by them, they could see a red purse hanging from his mouth.
“Stealing from an old mare? That’s awful,” said Discord. “I’m the spirit of chaos and disharmony, and even I wouldn’t do something that disgusting. Don’t worry, Granny Smith, he won’t get far.”
“Please don’t hurt me,” the thief whimpered.
“You want money? Get a job,” said Discord before walking away.
Discord then returned to the place where Fluttershy and Granny Smith were waiting and handed the old mare her purse.
“Thank you kindly, young man,” Granny Smith said with a smile on her face.
“It was my pleasure, ma’am,” said Discord, taking a bow.
“A little something for your trouble,” she said.
“Oh, I can’t accept this,” said Discord.
“No, really, I insist,” said Granny Smith before walking off.
“What are you going to do with those?” asked Fluttershy.
“I don’t know,” said Discord. “I’ve never had to rely on money. If I want something, I can just snap my fingers and poof! It’s there.”
“I got an idea,” he said, smiling.
“Thank you, mister,” said the filly scout.
“You’re very welcome, my dear” Discord said, patting the small filly’s head. “See you at cookie time. Save me a box of peanut swirls. Those are my favorite.”
As Fluttershy saw Discord walk back to her, she noticed that he had a big smile appear on his face.
“That actually felt pretty good,” he said. “Doing something nice for somepony like that.”
“That’s what happens when you do a good deed,” said Fluttershy. “It not only makes the pony you’re helping happy, it makes you happy as well.”
“Maybe if I do more of these good deeds, then it will show everypony that I’ve really changed.” He said.
“It’s worth a shot,” said Fluttershy.
Discord then eyed the area for some other pony that might need help. He then saw Mr. Waddle moving his front hoof around the ground as if he was trying to feel for something. Discord then saw a pair glasses right next to Mr. Wobble and knew what he was searching for. He walked up to the old stallion and picked up the glasses.
“Are these what you are looking for?” he asked.
“Oh, thank you,” he said. “I can’t see a thing without these.”
“Well, that went well,” Discord said in a sarcastic tone.
“Trying to steal my groceries, huh?” she said in a disgusted tone.
“What? No, I was just…” Discord tried to explain.
“Spare me the details,” the mare said as she put the bag back on her back and left with a huff.
Discord was about to walk away when he saw an elderly mare with a cane about to walk across a street. Discord could tell by how she was wobbling that it would take her quite a while to cross the street so he quickly walked up to her before she crossed.
“Let me help you across, my good mare,” he said.
“I don’t need no mix matched monster’s help,” she said as she made her way down the street.
Discord then walked back to Fluttershy on a limp due to his now sore foot.
“It’s not going so well, is it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Afraid not,” said Discord. “I swear some of these ponies can be as stubborn as mules.”
“Phew. That’s a relief,” said Discord as he wiped some sweat off his forehead.
At that moment, Fluttershy and Discord heard someone say “oh-no.” They went to where they heard it and found Scootaloo sitting on the ground with a sad look on her face.
“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy.
“Oh, I hate when that happens,” said Discord.
“It took me all week to save up for that ice cream,” said Scootaloo.
“Don’t worry, Scootaloo,” said Discord. “I know just the thing to cheer you up.”
“Two please,” Discord said. And the monkey pulled two bananas off the tree and handed them to Discord before disappearing.
“There we are. One delicious banana split,” said Discord as he handed the treat to Scootaloo.
“Wow, thanks, Discord. This looks great,” said Scootaloo before she put a spoonful of the ice cream in her mouth and let out a sigh of satisfaction.
Discord and Fluttershy both said their goodbyes to Scootaloo and continued on their way. As they walked, they saw Big Macintosh come towards them, pulling a cart full of apples with Apple Bloom riding on top of them.
“Hi, Fluttershy,” said Apple Bloom. “Where are you off to?”
“Just going to the spa with my good friend, Discord,” said Fluttershy. She then turned to Discord. “You remember Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom don’t you?”
“Of course,” said Discord. “You’re Applejack’s siblings, aren’t you? It’s good to see you again.”
“Oh. You’re still mad about me making you act like a dog, aren’t you?” Discord nervously asked.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said in a low infuriating tone.
“Talk about awkward,” said Apple Bloom.
“Looks like we’re stuck,” said Apple Bloom.
“If you want, I can help you get it out,” said Discord.
But Big Mac just glared at Discord again and gave a very firm “EEnope.”
“Oh, come on, Big Mac. Give him a chance,” said Fluttershy, giving the stallion the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Being around all these apples sure can work up at an appetite,” he said.
“This is the best apple I’ve ever had,” said Discord.
“There’s nothing more delicious than an apple from Sweet Apple Acres,” said Apple Bloom before she and Big Mac waved goodbye to Fluttershy and Discord and continued on their way.
As Discord started walking with Fluttershy, he finished his apple and tossed it, causing to land in a garbage can that magically appeared.
“Two points,” he said, which made Fluttershy chuckle.
The two friends continue their walk when something caught Discord’s eye.
“Fluttershy? Isn’t that your zebra friend over there?” he asked.
“Is something wrong, Zecora?” Discord asked.
“I was trying to buy honey, my good Discord. But I’m afraid it’s something I cannot afford,” she said. “It’s 20 bits a jar, but I must confess, that I am sadly one bit less.”
“Are you sure about this?” asked Zecora.
“Yes, this is one bit I will not miss,” said Discord.
Discord and Fluttershy were just about to head on their way when they suddenly heard someone crying. They turned to wear they heard it and saw a small filly in tears while a stallion tried to comfort her.
“Fuzzy’s missing,” said Zippowhill.
“Who’s Fuzzy?” asked Discord.
“Fuzzy is Zipporwhill’s puppy,” said her father.
“I was taking him for a walk when he saw a squirrel run by and he pulled on the leash trying to get at it and then I accidentally let it go and he ran off,” said Zipporwhill.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll find him,” the father said as he gently rubbed his daughter’s back.
“But Daddy, we looked everywhere. What if he’s fallen down a hole? Or if sompony kidnapped him,” Zipporwhill said as fresh tears came pouring down her face.
“Don’t cry, little one,” he said. “We’ll help you find your puppy. Won’t we, Fluttershy?”
“Of course,” the yellow Pegasus said.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” the driver shouted. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
“Oh, you’re one to talk,” said Discord, before picking up Fuzzy and showing him to the driver. “This cute little puppy ran into your site and you almost flattened him with that machine of yours.”
“You see that little filly over there? This puppy belongs to her. Do you have any idea how devastated she would be if she saw him die right in front of her?”
“You’re forgiven,” said Discord. “Just watch where you’re going when you’re driving that thing.”
“Thank you. Mr. Discord,” she said.
“You’re very welcome, my dear,” Discord said, blushing. “But please, just call me Discord. Mr. Discord’s my father.”
“You know what, Discord? I’m very proud of you,” said Fluttershy. “You have done so many wonderful things today.”
“Did you see Discord save that puppy?”
“Save it? Please. He probably put that puppy in harm’s way so he could look like the hero.”
“Forget it, Flutershy,” he said. “It looks like some ponies still see me as the evil Discord. It will probably take the biggest good deed of all time to get them to see I’ve changed.”
“You’re probably right,” said Fluttershy. “Anyway, let’s not worry about them. We got a spa date, remember?”
“We sure do,” said Discord.
As Fluttershy and Discord continued on their walk, the young Pegasus looked up at her friend and saw that he had a frown on his face and his ears were drooped. She could tell that he was still upset about the other ponies saying all those awful things about him even after all the good deeds he did.
“Don’t let those ponies get to you, Discord,” she said. “I think all the things you did today were wonderful.”
That comment made Discord smile.
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” he said. “That means a lot.”
Finally, the two friends made it to their destination; Carousel Boutique. They were just about to go inside when suddenly, the door swung open and Sweetie Belle came out and ran right past them, crying her eyes out. Rarity then came out with a look of guilt on her face as she shouted to her little sister.
“Sweetie Belle, wait! Come back! I didn’t mean it!”
“Oh, Fluttershy, darling. What brings you here?” said Rarity quietly.
“I came here for our spa date,” said Fluttershy. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought Discord to join us, if that’s okay with you.”
“Oh, of course. The more the merrier,” said Rarity. But she wasn’t really listening. She was too busy looking at the path where Sweetie Belle ran off.
“Did something happen between you and Sweetie Belle?” asked Fluttershy.
“You might want to come in and see for yourself,” she said.
Fluttershy and Discord followed Rarity into the shop and she pointed to a nearby table. On top of it was a large piece of pink fabric and in the center of it was a big purple blotch. Discord looked at the blotch and sniffed it and he automatically recognized the smell.
“Is that grape juice?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Rarity. “Sweetie Belle had a glass of it with her when she was looking at the fabric and she accidentally knocked the glass over. When I saw it, I just lost my temper. I yelled at her about how grape juice can stain and then I said that she was nothing but trouble and that I can never have anything nice in this shop without her wrecking it. But then I saw the tears in her eyes and I just felt awful for what I said. I tried to apologize, but Sweetie Belle ran out the door before I had the chance to say anything.”
“You know, I think I can make this stain good for the fabric,” he said.
“This looks simply marvelous,” said Rarity. “I must tell Sweetie Belle how her little mistake turned into something wonderful.”
“That is if she comes back.”
“I’m pretty sure she’ll be back,” said Fluttershy.
“But what if she doesn’t,” said Rarity. “What if she hates me?”
“Sweetie Belle could never hate you,” she said. “Have you forgotten how many times she’s called you the best big sister ever? She loves you more than anything. Just give her some time to cool off and I’m sure she’ll come back here.”
Rarity let out a small smile after hearing what her friend said. She was right. Sweetie Belle loved her more than life itself and always wanted to spend time with her.
“You’re right, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. “Let’s go to the spa and I’m quite sure that when we come back, Sweetie Belle will be here waiting and I’ll give her the biggest hug ever.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Fluttershy.
Inside the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse, Sweetie Belle was lying on the ground, covering her face with her front hooves as she let out small quiet sobs. The harsh words that Rarity had said echoed in her head.
“She hates me,” the young filly said to herself. “Rarity must think that I’m a terrible sister. She’ll probably never want to see me again.”
Sweetie Belle left the clubhouse and was on her way to Rarity’s shop when she heard some voices coming from behind a nearby bush.
“Keep digging!”
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“Still nothing.”
“It’s no use, Rover,” the big grey dog said to the red vested one. “We’ll never find any gems this way.”
“Stop complaining, Fido,” said Rover. “We’ll find gems even if it takes all day. Now go help Spot.”
“What have we got here?” said Rover.
“Looks like a spy,” said Spot.
“I’m no spy,” said Sweetie Belle. “I’m just a filly.”
“A very nosey filly,” said Rover. “No one interferes with the work of the Diamond Dogs.”
“Diamond Dogs?”
“Wait, I know who you are. You’re those creeps who kidnapped Rarity that one time and tried to force her to dig up gems for you.”
“How do you know Rarity?” asked Fido.
“She’s my sister,” said Sweetie Belle.
“I think I know how to solve our little gem problem,” he said.
At the Ponyville day spa, Fluttershy, Rarity and Discord were all enjoying their stay. Fluttershy was getting a massage, Rarity was relaxing on a chair with a mud mask on her face, and Discord was having one of the spa ponies file the nails of his eagle talon. When the pony was done, Discord admired her work on his nails.
“An excellent job, my good mare,” he said.
“Why thank you, Discord,” said the spa pony. “Now would you like me to file your toenails next? I have noticed they are quite long.”
“Oh, of course. Go right ahead,” said Discord, who sounded a bit nervous when he talked.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” said Discord, still giggling a bit. “I should have warned you. I have a very ticklish lizard foot.”
“That’s okay,” said the spa pony. “You’re not the first one to come here and say that the nail file tickles. You should see Rainbow Dash when she comes in here. Just one touch from the file and she goes into a huge giggle fit.”
“So that’s why she doesn’t like anypony touching her hooves,” said Rarity as she got up off her chair and used her magic to levitate a towel towards her that she used to rub the mud off her face. “Anyway, we better get going. Sweetie Belle must be back at my shop by now.”
The three then thanked the spa ponies for their time and head out. But as soon as they stepped outside, they stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw. Standing right in front of them were the three Diamond Dogs, each of them with a sinister smile on their faces.
“Hello, Miss. Rarity,” said Rover. “So good to see you again.”
“What are you ruffians doing here?” Rarity said in an infuriating tone.
“You know these three furballs?” asked Discord.
“Sadly, yes,” said Rarity. “These fowl creatures are the Diamond Dogs. They once kidnapped me and forced me to find gems for them in their wretched caves. Luckily, I was able to escape by using my lady-like charms.”
“And by lady-like charms, she means that she whined and cried until we let her go,” said Spot.
“Good one,” Discord told Rarity who couldn’t help but smile at the compliment.
“Enough! We’re getting off topic here,” said Rover. “The reason we’re here is because we got a proposition for you, Rarity. You are going to gives us all of the gems you have.”
“What makes you think I would give my gems to a couple of filthy creatures like you?” asked Rarity.
“Don’t you dare harm her,” she said.
“Relax. We’ll let her go,” said Rover. “For a price.”
“We want you to give us exactly 2,000 gems,” said Spot.
“What?!” said a shocked Rarity. “I don’t even know if I have that many gems.”
“That’s our offer,” said Rover. “When you’re ready to give it to us, meet us at the edge of the Everfree forest. You know that area very well. And remember, it has to be exactly 2,000 gems. If you are just one gem short, then you will never see your little sister again.”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity called out. “I’ll find a way to save you. I promise.”
“I only have 250 gems,” she told her friends. “That’s barley enough.”
“This is all my fault,” she said.
“Don’t say that, Rarity,” said Fluttershy as she walked up to her friend and tried to comfort her.
“But it is,” said Rarity. “If I hadn’t yelled at Sweetie Belle, she wouldn’t have run off. And now thanks to me, she’s in the clutches of those monsters.”
“Don’t worry, Rarity,” said Fluttershy. “We’ll think of something. Right, Discord?”
Discord to the Rescue
Inside the caves of the Diamond Dogs, Sweetie Belle was hanging inside the birdcage which was attached to the ceiling. She watched as the three dogs were talking to each other right below her.
“Just think boys,” said Rover. “When Rarity gets here, we will be stinkin’ rich.”
“I can just picture all those colorful gems,” said Spot.
“Rarity would never give up her gems to a bunch of freaks like you,” said Sweetie Belle.
“She will have to if she values your life,” he said.
“What do you want those gems for anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Why to be rich of course,” said Fido. “With that many gems, we can whatever we wanted.”
“A new set of clothes.”
“Some fancy collars.”
“All the steak we can eat.”
“Have you ever thought about getting a job?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Oh! Stop, my sides hurt!” he said.
“Now that’s a good one,” said Rover as he wiped a tear from his eye.
Just then, they all heard a voice coming from above them.
“Hello? Diamond Dogs? Are you here? I got your gems.”
“That’s Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said with a smile.
“Looks like your sister came to her senses,” Rover said to the small filly before looking at Spot. “Go up there and get the gems. But make sure you count them all first. I don’t want that pony cheating us.”
“Alright you miserable mutt, I did what you told me to do,” Rarity said. “I got you your gems. Now where’s my sister?”
“First things first,” said Spot. “Give me the chest so I can see if all of the gems are there.”
“Do you not trust me?” asked Rarity who sounded a bit offended.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Spot demanded.
“Why? Do you think it’s funny?” asked Rarity. “Because I sure do.”
“Who or what are you?” asked Spot.
“Oh, of course, where are my manners?” said Discord.
“D-D-Discord? But I thought you were just a myth.”
“Oh no. I am very much real,” said Discord. “And I have come for Sweetie Belle. So why don’t you be a good little doggie and tell me where she is.”
“Well, if you want her, you’re going have to come and get her,” said Spot.
“So, the little mutt thinks he’s good at making holes, huh?” Discord said to himself. “Well two can play at that game.”
Spot followed the tunnel all the way back to where Fido and Rover were waiting for him.
“Quick! Help me block this entrance,” Spot said, almost out of breath.
“What’s the matter with you?” asked Rover as he noticed the white blobs on Spot’s face. “And what’s that all over your face?”
“Yum, banana cream. My favorite,” he said.
“What happened up there?” Rover asked Spot.
“We got a huge problem,” said the small dog. “That wasn’t Rarity up at the surface, it was Discord.”
“Discord? As in the spirit of chaos and disharmony Discord?” asked Rover.
“Oh, you three are in trouble now,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Oh please. I’m not afraid of that creep,” said Fido. “Let him come down here. I’ll tear him to pieces.”
“Finally. I found the right place. You dogs have way too many tunnels. I almost got lost,” he said. “Look out below!”
“Hey watch it,” shouted Fido. “I hate getting wet.”
“You three needed a bath anyway,” said Discord. “Have you smelled yourselves lately? You all smell like a giant pile of dirty diapers.”
“Enough,” said Rover. “What do you want, Discord?”
“I’m pretty sure you all know what I want,” said Discord. “I here to rescue Sweetie Belle, and I am not leaving without her.”
“That’s what you think,” said Fido as he quickly grabbed the cage containing Sweetie Belle and ran out of the cave with it.
“You’ll have to get by us first,” said Rover.
“That’s right,” said Spot, who had a bit of fear in his voice.
“Come back here, you coward,” shouted Rover before looking back at Discord with an angry look on his face.
“I don’t need that wimp. I can take care of you myself.”
“You know, you look like an angry bull right now,” he said. “As a matter of fact…”
“Ole,” he said before leaving the cave.
Discord made his way through the different caves and tunnels trying to find Fido and Sweetie Belle. That’s when he saw the cage with the small filly inside it lying on the ground.
“There you are,” Discord said as he walked up to the cage. “Where’s that giant hairball that took you?”
“I don’t know,” said Sweetie Belle. “He just placed me on the ground and then took off.”
“Get your stinking paws off me you darn, dirty mutt,” he said.
“Or else what? You going to make it rain chocolate milk on my head?” Fido said. “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Now there’s an idea.”
“Hey! Get me off this crazy thing,” Fido shouted at Discord.
“As you wish,” said Discord before snapping his fingers.
“Let’s see how you like being locked up,” Discord said before going back to Sweetie Belle. “Now let’s get you out of there.”
Discord then put a tight grasp on the cage’s lock with his eagle claw and the lock suddenly turned bright red. Discord then pulled on it and it snapped in two, causing the door to open and Sweetie Belle walked out. She then saw Discord eating a piece of the broken lock.
“Want some?” he asked the small filly as he handed her the other half.
“I knew you would enjoy that,” Discord chuckled. “Rarity told me that you love licorice. Speaking of Rarity, she must be worried sick about you. Let’s get you home.”
But before the two began to walk they heard someone say “Stop right there,” from behind them. They both turned around to see a guard dog pointing a spear right at them.
“You two are not going anywhere,” he said.
“Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle,” he said. “I got this.”
“Well that takes care of that,” said Discord.
“Do you have a plan to get rid of these guys?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Hey, I’m Discord. I always have a plan,” Discord said with a smile.
“Is that a dog whistle?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Nope. Even better. It’s a Rarity whistle,” said Discord.
After seeing that they were clear of the dogs, Discord stopped blowing on the whistle. He then looked up and saw a cave entrance on the ceiling.
“That looks like a way out,” he said.
“Going up,” said Discord as the elevator went all the way up out of the cave.
“First floor; trees, blue skies and happy singing ponies,” said Discord.
“Boy, am I glad to get out of there,” said Sweetie Belle as she stepped out of the elevator. She then smiled up at Discord and hugged his waist.
“Thank you so much for saving me.”
“It was my pleasure,” said Discord before Sweetie Belle let go of her embrace and the two made their way back to Ponyville.
Appreciation at Last.
Just outside the Carousel Boutique, Spike handed Rarity and Fluttershy two buckets filled with gems.
“Are you sure about this, Spike?” asked Rarity. “I feel awful taking gems from your own personal stash.”
“No, it’s okay,” said Spike. “Getting Sweetie Belle back is more important. I can always get more gems.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Spikey-Wikey,” said Rarity as she leaned down and gave Spike a small kiss on the cheek, which made the small dragon blush.
“With these gems, and the ones I have in my shop, I only have 433,” she said. “Looks like I’m going to have to think of some way to get more.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said a nearby voice.
“Sweetie Belle!”
“Rarity!”
The two sisters ran to each other and embraced in a huge hug. Rarity had tears of joy pouring out of her eyes as she repeatedly kissed Sweetie Belle all over her face.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle, I thought I’d never see you again,” said Rarity as she let go of her little sister. “All you all right? Those monsters didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No, I’m okay,” said Sweetie Belle. “Thanks to Discord. You should have seen him. He took out all of those dogs in seconds.”
“Thank you, Discord,” she said. “Thank you of saving my sister. She means everything to me.”
“It was my pleasure, Rarity,” said Discord who retuned the hug.
Just then, a group of ponies saw Discord and Rarity hugging and looked shocked and a bit disgusted.
“Rarity, why are you hugging him?” said one pony.
“Yeah, that’s Discord,” said another.
“And what is wrong with that?” she asked. “I’m just showing my gratitude. Discord rescued my little sister from a group of Diamond Dogs.”
“And you believe that?” said one pony.
“He probably paid those dogs to kidnap your sister and then backstabbed them so he could look like the hero,” said another.
Discord was almost on the verge of tears as the insults just kept on coming.
“Discord can never change.”
“Why is he even here? He should be a statue.”
“He is nothing but a monster.”
“You all should be ashamed of yourselves,” Fluttershy said to the group. “Discord has been trying his best all day to prove that he has reformed, and you won’t even give him a chance. He has done nothing but do good deeds all throughout this town.”
“Discord? Do good deeds?” said a confused pony. “That’s pretty hard to believe.
“Actually, it’s quite true,” said a voice.
Everyone turned to see Twilight walk up and join them all with another group of ponies following right behind her. The group consisted of all of the ponies that Discord had helped: Granny Smith, Zecora, Zipporwhill, with her puppy on her back, Scootaloo, who had some of ice cream smeared on her face, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom.
“Each of these ponies came to me today and told me that Discord had done something nice for them,” said Twilight.
“That’s right,” said Granny Smith. “Discord helped me get my purse back from a no good thief.”
“He gave me the last of his money, so that I may buy my jar of honey,” said Zecora.
“He saved my puppy,” said Zipporwhill.
“He made me the most delicious banana spilt I’ve ever tasted,” said Scootaloo, licking the ice cream off her face.
“And he helped my big brother get his apple cart unstuck,” said Apple Bloom.
“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.
“We’re sorry for the things we said, Discord,” said one pony.
“I guess you really have changed,” said another.
“Oh, that’s okay,” said Discord. “I know it’s not easy to believe someone like me can really reform.”
“I would like you to come with me,” she said. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Really? Oh, I love surprises,” said Discord as he snapped his fingers and a blindfold appeared, covering his eyes. “Don’t want to spoil anything.”
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
“Do you like it?” asked Pinkie Pie, who popped up right beside Discord. “I made it myself.”
“Yes, Pinkie,” said Discord. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Discord? Could you kindly come up here please?” she asked.
“Today, Princess Twilight came to me and told me about all of the wonderful things that Discord has done all over Ponyville. So now we gather here to congratulate him for his amazing good deeds.”
“Discord, it gives me great pleasure to present you with this. The Ponyville Medal of Kindness.”
“You love me. You really love me,” Discord said as he waved to all of the ponies and blew them kisses.
The next day, Discord was at Carousel Boutique enjoying some tea with Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle. Rarity was busy in her sewing room working on a new dress and she wanted them all to see it. While waiting, Discord was looking at a newspaper and saw a huge photo of him during the thank you ceremony.
“I think they got my good side,” he said. “Then again, every part of me is my good side.”
“Okay, it’s finished.” Rarity said as she entered the room, using her magic to levitate one of her mannequins and place it on the ground so everyone could see it.
“Isn’t that the fabric I spilt my grape juice on?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Yes it is,” said Rarity. “But thanks to Discord, he made the stain into something wonderful.”
“Happy to help,” said Discord.
“Do you like it?” Rarity asked her sister.
“I love it,” said Sweetie Belle. “I think it’s one of the most beautiful dresses you’ve ever made.”
“I’m glad you think that, because I made it just for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes. It’s my way of saying sorry for yelling at you yesterday.”
“Have I ever told you you’re the best big sister ever?” she asked.
“Many times, I believe. I think I’ve lost count,” said Rarity. ¬¬¬
After Sweetie Belle let go of her embrace she then looked at Discord.
“Wait right here. I have something for you,” she told him as she left the room.
“I made this myself,” said Sweetie Belle. “It’s my way of thanking you for saving my life.”
“Aww, why thank you, Sweetie Belle,” said Discord as he eyes the little figurine. “I must say, you did quite a good job at this. It looks exactly like me. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a cutie mark in sculpting.”
“Speaking of which, I have something for you as well, Discord,” said Twilight.
“I would like you to write the friendship lesson you learned into our journal,” said Twilight. “After all, you are our friend.
“Twilight, I would be honored,” said Discord as he opened up the journal and flipped to the last entry.
“Care for a quill?” asked Spike as he handed out a purple feather.
“That’s okay, I got my own,” said Discord as he snapped his fingers and a large peacock feather appeared in his hand, which he used to write his entry.Yesterday I came to Ponyville to make up for all the terrible things I had done. It wasn’t easy as many ponies still saw me as the monster I use to be. But I had many good friends, like Fluttershy, who really believed that I had changed. And even though I know that there are still ponies out there who still think I’m evil, I am just glad that there are many others who consider me a friend and are willing to give me a chance.
As Discord finished his entry, Spike saw something outside the window that made his eyes widen.
“Uh, this might sound strange, but I just saw an armchair with wings being chased by a barking footstool,” he said.
“Whoops, I forgot all about those,” said Discord as a cowboy hat appeared on his head and a lasso appeared in his hand. “Better go round them up.”