The Element of Laughterby Inky_QuillChaptersHarmless PranksDiscordPinkie Pie's ProblemPinkie's ChoiceHarmless PranksOne sunny morning in Ponyville, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were hard at work baking four dozen cupcakes for Mayor Mare’s birthday party. The party wasn’t until that afternoon, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn’t mind starting their work a little early. They prided themselves on punctuality. As Mrs. Cake tested the first batch of cupcakes with a toothpick, a pink mare hopped downstairs, somehow balancing a one-bit coin on her nose, the narrow side touching her face and the flat sides spinning round and round like a top. When the mare reached the landing, she stopped for a moment, obviously waiting for some sort of recognition from the Cakes. Unfortunately, the bakers were so used to her antics that they didn’t bat an eye at this particular eccentricity. “Hiya, Mrs. Cake! You look pretty busy!” said the mare, sticking her nose out to show off her new trick. “Oh, hello, Pinkie dear,” replied Mrs. Cake. “We were just baking some cupcakes for a very important order. Why don’t you help yourself to a bite in the other room?” “I already had breakfast, silly!” said Pinkie Pie, ignoring Mrs. Cake’s hint. She crouched behind a counter and slowly lifted her nose above the surface so that the Cakes would be sure to notice her bit trick. Mr. Cake sighed. “Is that a bit you’ve got there?” he asked. “Oh yes, indeedy!” shouted Pinkie Pie, springing into view. “It’s an easy trick! Do you wanna try?” Mr. Cake tried to protest, but he knew that until he humored the young mare, she would never leave him in peace. “Alright, Pinkie, I’ll try,” he said. Still balancing her own bit, Pinkie Pie tossed Mr. Cake another coin, and he awkwardly positioned it on his nose. “Like this!” said Pinkie Pie, and she spun the bit on Mr. Cake’s nose. He was so flustered, he drew back sharply, and the bit skidded across the kitchen floor. The deed was done, however, and there on Mr. Cakes snout was an obvious graphite mark. Mrs. Cake shook her head, and Pinkie Pie snorted, pleased with herself for getting away with her stupid prank. Her own bit fell as she rolled on the floor, laughing. Mr. Cake frowned and washed his face in the sink, and Pinkie strutted out of Sugarcube Corner in search of other fun things to do. “I know!” she said. “If I’m gonna be prankster, I should go and find Dashie, and we can do it together!” Rainbow Dash sped over Town Hall, stretching her wings as she always did in the morning. She raced toward the market, a rainbow in her wake, and then flew up sharply toward the sun. Out of nowhere, a cloud collided with her, and in her surprise, she spun out of control. Regaining her balance, Rainbow Dash glanced over and said angrily, “Come back here you!” She charged the renegade cloud and tackled it, expecting it to burst and dissipate. In a bizarre turn of events, Rainbow Dash found herself covered with sticky, pink cloud. “Eww, what is this?” asked the bewildered Rainbow Dash. She licked the cloud. “Cotton candy?” To Rainbow’s surprise, dozens of pink clouds appeared out of thin air and zoomed back and forth. Above her, she heard a thunderclap, and one of the clouds began to leak. “Wait a second!” said Rainbow Dash, obviously annoyed. “It’s not supposed to rain until tomorrow. You can’t just—” Suddenly, she found herself drenched with rain. No, not rain. She could have sworn it was—but no, it couldn’t be… “Dashie!” Pinkie Pie shouted to get Rainbow’s attention, but it was too late. The pegasus had dashed off after one of the clouds in a hunt that was destined to fail. Pinkie sagged for a moment, disappointed that her friend was too busy to play with her. Then, she noticed the clouds and the rain. She giggled and bounced away, following Rainbow across Ponyville. Later, Applejack was harvesting corn at Sweet Apple Acres. It seemed like a normal day until a pink cloud soared over the barn, pursued by Rainbow Dash. “Hey, I didn't tell you to go anywhere!” shouted Rainbow. Apart from the cloud’s unusual color, Applejack noticed three disturbing things about the situation. First, the cloud was raining. Second, it was followed by dozens of rainclouds just like it. Third, the rain was… brown! “Rainbow Dash,” demanded Applejack, “what's going on with this rain? I mean chocolate milk? I mean chocolate milk rain?!” “There's crazy weather all over Equestria!” said Rainbow Dash. “Cloudsdale’s getting soaked by a major cola storm right now! But don't worry. I'm not leaving you till I get control of Ponyville!” Applejack didn’t think Rainbow could ever control this chaos, especially since the Sweet Apple Acres cornfields had just begun to pop, showering the area with a delicious, buttery snack. “Why would you wanna stop this??” said Pinkie Pie, diving in and out of the popcorn and catching chocolate rain on her tongue. She hadn’t had so much fun since her trip to Canterlot four months ago. Anyway, meteorological candy was a far more spectacular prank than anything she could hope to accomplish, and she planned to enjoy it to the fullest. Meanwhile, Rarity strolled daintily by the popcorn fields wearing an expensive purple hat and an umbrella saddle. She cleared her throat. “I heard about your troubles, Applejack, and I came to see if there's anything I can do without getting wet. Or dirty. Or out from under my umbrella,” she said. Without warning, all of the unpicked apples on the farm grew to the size of pumpkins, and the apple trees bent and groaned under the weight. Noticing the luscious fruit, small rodents from all over climbed the trees and began gorging themselves. “Fluttershy! Do something!” screamed Applejack, afraid for her family’s apple trees. Fluttershy gently scolded her pet rabbit, who was among the first animals to bite into an apple. “Now, Angel, you really shouldn't—” she began, when Angel’s legs quickly grew to the size of giraffe legs. “No! It's not possible! I must be seeing things!” said Fluttershy, panicking as the other rabbits grew giraffe legs just like Angel’s. Just then, Twilight Sparkle showed up, accompanied by her valet dragon, Spike. “Don't worry everyone,” she said triumphantly. “I've learned a new spell that'll fix everything.” After consulting a book, she cast her spell, and her trademark purple aura swept over Sweet Apple Acres, leaving everything… exactly as it was before Twilight showed up. “My fail-safe spell... failed,” said Twilight, genuinely surprised. “What do we do?” “Uh, give up?” suggested Spike. “Spike, Twilight will come up with something,” said Rarity, generously giving Twilight her umbrella saddle. Twilight thought for a moment. “Time for plan B,” she said confidently. “Rainbow, can you corral all those clouds in one corner of the sky?” Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash zipped across the sky, herding the cotton candy clouds together into one massive ball of sugar. “Applejack,” said Twilight, “I need you to bring those high-strung storm clouds down to Earth.” Applejack lassoed the giant cloud and pulled it to the ground, disappointing Pinkie Pie, who had been enjoying the last of the chocolate rain. However, the rose pony was determined to take advantage of this opportunity to have fun. She rushed over to the cloud and began tearing away at it with her teeth, eating the candy like a pig, as she always did. “Oh dear,” said Fluttershy at Twilight’s request. “I hope none of the animals see these delicious chocolate-filled cotton candy clouds. I'd hate to have to share them.” “You and me both, sister!” said Pinkie Pie, oblivious to Twilight’s plan. “Hey!” she shouted, as the bow-legged rabbits and their rodent friends sped to the cloud and devoured it. Now Pinkie was really annoyed with her boring friends for ruining the fun. While the other ponies celebrated their victory, Pinkie sulked in a corner, not bothering to wipe her chocolate-covered face. Suddenly, Spike belched, and a sealed letter burst from his fiery breath. Curious, Pinkie Pie joined her friends as Twilight broke the seal and silently read Princess Celestia’s letter. Twilight gasped. “Come on, girls. Princess Celestia wants to see us all in Canterlot immediately!” On the train to Canterlot, Pinkie Pie curled up in the backseat, staring out of the window and wishing she could enjoy the sight of a candy-covered Equestria. Already, new clouds had overshadowed Sweet Apple Acres, and the animals had been too full of apples and cotton candy to eat the popcorn that blanketed Applejack’s cornfields. In the distance, the Everfree Forest had already become a mysterious world, liberated from its old tyrant, reason. Patches of trees floated here and there above the forest, some of them hanging upside-down on invisible strings. If Pinkie Pie had had eagle eyes, she would have seen Fluttershy’s friend Harry tearing licorice vines from the branches and eating them one by one. She would have seen Zecora impatiently shooing the woodland animals away from her candy hut. She would have seen a violet filly float to and fro, inspecting the forest and tampering with anything that seemed too ordinary. And she would have relished all of it. This was the best day ever, and Princess Celestia had summoned her to destroy it. “Why the long face, sugarcube?” asked Applejack. Pinkie giggled and looked out over Equestria, ignoring Applejack’s question. Maybe Pinkie was wrong to enjoy the cotton candy clouds and the chocolate rain. After all, her friends saw the unusual weather as a threat. Maybe they were right. Then again, Pinkie knew to trust her instincts. Nopony else’s gut reactions were half as good as hers, and all she felt about the candy weather was glee. The train pulled into Canterlot, and the six mares stepped onto the platform. Everything seemed perfectly sane in Equestria’s capital city. Whatever was causing the phenomena, maybe Princess Celestia was powerful enough to overcome it. The friends set off towards the palace, Twilight Sparkle in the lead and Pinkie Pie in the rear. Pinkie had just made up her mind to trust her friends when something colorful caught her eye. She turned and squinted through the crowd of ponies in Canterlot Market, but whatever she had seen was nowhere to be found. She shrugged and bounced after her friends. No sooner had the mares entered the palace garden than Pinkie Pie caught another flash of color in the corner of her eye. This time, she broke away from the group and chased it behind some shrubbery. There, she found three balloons: one teal, one cyan, and one yellow. Pinkie snorted her amusement and lightly batted at the balloons, forgetting about her audience with the princess. To her surprise, the balloons turned in midair, revealing three cartoonish faces. “Hello, young mare,” said the teal balloon in a friendly, male voice. “You look awfully bubbly to be stuck in the stuffy palace on a day like this. Why don’t you stay in the garden with us?” “Maybe you haven’t heard,” replied Pinkie, “but weird things have been happening in Equestria. The princess wants me and my friends to do something about it.” “Really? What sort of things?” “Well, it’s raining, but it’s not supposed to rain till tomorrow. And clouds are moving around on their own…” “Is that all? I’m sure the pegasi could clear that up in ten seconds flat!” “But the clouds are made of cotton candy! And the rain is made of chocolate! And no matter how fast the pegasi work, the clouds just keep coming!” The three balloons guffawed. If they had had arms, surely they would have clutched their sides in amusement. “Why, that sounds marvelous! What a ridiculous sight! Cotton candy, you say? And I’m sure you loved the chocolate rain?” said the teal balloon, nudging Pinkie Pie with its string. “Well, it was kinda tasty…” admitted Pinkie Pie. “What’s wrong, then? Does Celestia really care about such a harmless prank?” “But the rabbits have really big legs, and the forest is going crazy, and the apples are ginormous, and and and—” Pinkie struggled to defend Princess Celestia. She had just made up her mind to do whatever the princess asked of her, and she wasn’t about to let a talking balloon dissuade her. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” said the teal balloon sincerely, “I’m sorry I made you so upset. I completely understand if you don’t like my tricks. They were all in good fun, but you’re probably right. The princess knows best, and if she says they must go, then they must go.” Pinkie’s jaw dropped. Never mind that the balloon knew her name before she had introduced herself. Did it say that it had caused all the mayhem in Equestria? Pinkie heard a thunderclap, and she found her mane soaked with chocolate rain. Looking up, she found that Canterlot was overshadowed by pink clouds. She turned to the balloons, ready to speak, but they had vanished. “Pinkie!” Twilight Sparkle trotted through the royal garden anxiously. “You know what a hurry we’re in, Pinkie Pie!” she scolded. The two friends galloped off to find the others, and they approached the palace for an audience with the princess. DiscordTwilight Sparkle burst through the tall palace doors, followed by Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie followed behind her friends. There, pacing in the hall, stood the princess herself. “Princess Celestia!” said Twilight. “We came as fast as we could.” “Thank you, Twilight,” replied the princess. “Thank you all.” “Is this about the weather?” asked Twilight. “And the animals’ weird behavior? What’s happening out there? Why isn’t my magic working? Is there—” Princess Celestia cut her off and led the ponies to a long chamber in Canterlot Tower. The walls were adorned with great stained glass windows, filling the chamber with brilliant colors in what sunlight managed to break through the clouds. Some of the windows portrayed an ugly chimera. The floor and ceiling were set with blue, pink, and purple tiles, and great pillars lined the chamber on either side. Hanging from the pillars were beautiful white flowers. At the far end of the room stood gilded iron doors sealed with Princess Celestia’s emblem and flanked by two fierce stone unicorns. Pinkie Pie gaped in wonder at the magnificent colors, and she found it hard to focus on the princess’s exposition. The longer Princess Celestia talked, the more distracted Pinkie Pie became. She heard about Princess Celestia’s old foe, somepony named Discord, how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had turned him into stone, and something about the Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a picture of herself in a stained glass window. In fact, the window depicted Nightmare Moon’s downfall. “Hey look! We’re famous!” said Pinkie Pie, not noticing how rudely she had interrupted the princess. “You six showed the full potential of the elements by harnessing the magic of your friendship to beat a mighty foe,” said Princess Celestia. “Although Luna and I once wielded the elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord.” The princess meant to capture Pinkie Pie’s attention, and she succeeded. But Pinkie Pie knew that defeating Discord meant rejecting all of his fun pranks, so she hesitated. “Hold on a second!” she shouted. “Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!” Of course, the other mares didn’t take her seriously, and Twilight was the first to brush her off. “Don't listen to her, Princess,” she said. “We'd be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.” With her horn, the princess undid the magical seal that had been placed on the great iron doors. They opened, revealing a heavy, jeweled chest wherein the princess kept the Elements of Harmony. “Have no fear, ponies.” said the princess, removing the chest from its hiding place. “I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord with these!” She opened the chest, and they all gasped in shock. It was empty! Nopony was as surprised as Princess Celestia, who drew back in disbelief, letting the chest fall with a thud. Her most secure vault had been burgled, and her most powerful magic had been overcome. The moment of silence that followed seemed to last a year. The same gaping expression was fixed on everypony’s face as they stared at the empty chest and wondered what would happen next and how they were to defeat Discord without the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie recovered first. Actually, she was amused by Princess Celestia’s reaction and a little relieved that she no longer had to choose whether or not to use her element to defeat Discord. Also, though she wouldn’t admit it to herself, it was a little gratifying to see the other mares dumbfounded after they had so smugly ignored her all day. “Oh, well,” she said wearing a cheery grin. “If anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw.” She trotted out of the chamber and left the palace, ready to enjoy this wonderful day. As she pranced out of the palace and into the garden, Pinkie Pie decided to look for her helium-filled friends. She searched behind every tree and every bush, but the colorful balloons were nowhere to be found. She had just given up hope when she stumbled upon a huge, frosted cake. The cake stood a head taller than Pinkie, and its three round layers each held a hundred tiny candles. The top layer was covered in yellow frosting, the middle layer was teal, and the bottom layer was cyan. Pinkie giggled and pulled out a pogo stick. She bounced as high as she could in order to see the top of the cake, and to her surprise, it read: HAPPY MIRTHDAY, PINKIE PIE! Once again, Pinkie rolled on the ground in laughter, tears running down her face. She managed to control herself and stood up to take a bite of cake, but as she approached it, somepony—no, something—burst from the top layer, its arms spread out in joy and a goofy smile on its ugly face. “Surprise!” it said. Cake and candles splattered the lawn and Pinkie, but she was so astonished, she didn’t even bother to lick the frosting out of her coat. The thing that had burst out of Pinkie’s mirthday cake looked like a pony, but its right foreleg was a lion paw, its left foreleg was an eagle or griffon talon, and it had a horn and an antler, a scaly tail and right back leg, a buffalo left back leg, a pegasus wing, and a bat wing. There was no doubt that this creature was the very same chimera that Pinkie had seen in Canterlot Tower. “Dis…cord?” asked Pinkie. She wasn’t afraid, but she hesitated to trust this creature, whom Princess Celestia had trapped away in stone for so many years. “The one and only,” said Discord dramatically, striking a Shakespearean pose. Pinkie Pie recognized his voice. Discord was, in fact, the teal balloon. Probably all three balloons. “So,” he continued, “how should we celebrate your mirthday, Pinkie Pie? You’re particularly fond of tricks, and I’m particularly good at them, so I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s only one thing to do today.” “Weren’t you gonna stop your tricks?” said Pinkie. “I see more clouds over Canterlot than ever! You should keep them in the garden so we can have a party without bothering Princess Celestia.” “You’re right, Pinkie Pie, I have taken these harmless pranks a little far, haven’t I?” Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash of white light, all the clouds disappeared but one. A single pink raincloud loomed over Pinkie’s head and showered her with chocolate rain. Delighted, Pinkie threw herself on the ground and allowed the rain to fall directly into her open mouth. When she had had her fill, Pinkie Pie stood up, and the pink cloud disappeared. She was surprised to find that she felt guilty for enjoying herself when all her friends could think of was defeating Discord. “Sorry,” she said, “but I really should get back to my friends.” “So soon?” pouted Discord, looking genuinely disappointed. “Well, if you must, you must. Promise you’ll play with me another time?” After a moment, Pinkie smiled and said, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” With a light heart, she turned and made her way to Canterlot Tower, where her friends sat in doubt, waiting silently. Pinkie Pie's ProblemPrincess Celestia paced anxiously. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock, and her ancient mind was wholly devoted to finding a way to defeat Discord. The other five mares said nothing, afraid to break the princess’s concentration. When a grinning Pinkie Pie shamelessly threw open the doors and strutted into the chamber, only Rainbow Dash spoke, annoyed that Pinkie wasn’t taking their problem seriously. “And where were you for the last twenty minutes?” she said, her arms folded and a scowl on her face. “You really should listen, Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie. “I was having fun in the rain!” “Speakin’ of which,” said Applejack, “did y’all notice the sky cleared up?” All of the ponies except the princess looked out of an open window and, sure enough, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Maybe Discord really had given up his pranks. “I, for one, am simply delighted that this Discord character is finished with his ridiculous display,” said Rarity. “I’ve fallen behind on a dress I’m making for a very important client, and I absolutely must return to the boutique. With your leave, Princess. We’ll have to hurry to catch the train back to Ponyville.” “I agree,” said Fluttershy, “if you don’t mind, that is…” “Girls, we can’t let our guard down!” said Twilight Sparkle. “Yes, the sky is clear, but who’s to say Discord won’t strike again? Don’t forget about the elements—they’re gone!” “That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break. This doesn’t make sense!” said the princess. She kept pacing, and Twilight could tell that she was still thinking of a plan. Suddenly, a mysterious cackle broke the tension. The mares looked around, but nopony was there. “Make sense?” said a voice from nowhere. “What fun is there in making sense?” “Discord! Show yourself!” commanded Celestia. She was angry. Angrier than Twilight had ever seen her. And Twilight could have sworn the Princess was afraid. Discord laughed again, and the princess searched every corner of the room with her terrible eyes. “Did you miss me, Celestia?” said Discord. “I missed you!” With a flash of white light, an image of Discord in one of the windows began to move all on its own. “It's quite lonely being encased in stone,” said the image in a mock friendly voice, “but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone.” Pinkie Pie didn’t like this dark, bitter side of Discord. Where was the funny prankster who gave everypony candy? Or the considerate friend who baked Pinkie a mirthday cake? Or the loyal subject who immediately cleaned up the sky upon learning that the princess was displeased? Were those Discords just masks to hide this ugly creature? “Enough!” said the princess. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while,” said Discord. “You’ll never get away with this, Discord!” “Oh, I’d forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It’s really quite boring.” “Hey!” shouted Rainbow Dash, “nopony insults the princess!” Without thinking, she charged, but the image vanished in a flash of light, leaving Rainbow to crash into an ordinary stained glass window. The glass Discord reappeared. “Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash,” it said, “famed for your loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent.” “That’s right! I’ll always be loyal to the princess!” “We’ll see about that.” Now Pinkie Pie was sure that Discord couldn’t be trusted. She didn’t mind that he had called the princess boring. The princess was boring. Only a boring pony could pass up chocolate rain. But no matter how boring the princess was, she was still royalty. She was the bringer of the sun and the wise monarch who had ruled Equestria in peace for a thousand years. If anypony deserved the mares’ loyalty, it was Princess Celestia. “I can’t believe we’re wasting our time talking to a tacky window,” said Rarity. “The beautiful Rarity,” said Discord, “representing the element of generosity, if I’m not mistaken.” “So y’know who we are,” said Applejack. “Big deal.” “Oh, I know much more than that, honest Applejack!” “You seem to know our strengths too,” said Twilight. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle, and yours is the most powerful and elusive element, magic. Fluttershy’s is kindness and Pinkie Pie’s is a personal favorite of mine: laughter!” Discord did a silly dance on top of an image of Twilight Sparkle, and the spectacle was so funny that Pinkie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Discord was a bad creature, but he seemed so happy as he danced that Pinkie just couldn’t take him seriously. For the moment, there was no malice in his voice, and his eyes sparkled as laughter escaped his lips and mingled with Pinkie’s. Were his threats empty? Was he just a child who had tantrums now and then? Pinkie was confused, so she stopped laughing and decided to listen to Discord and the princess before judging which of them was right. “Stop stalling, Discord!” said Princess Celestia. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, so boring, Celestia! Really?” said Discord, pretending to be disappointed. By now, he was obviously enjoying himself, and he didn’t sound bitter at all. But whether he was a child playing or he was gloating over his prey, Pinkie couldn’t tell. “Fine,” he continued, “I’ll tell you, but I’ll only tell you my way: To retrieve your missing elements, Just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan, Then find the elements back where you began.” Discord’s voice faded into laughter, and his image fixed itself properly into its original window. “What d’y’reckon he meant?” said Applejack. “Twists and turns and endin’ back where we started?” “Twists and turns…twists and turns…” said Twilight. “That’s it! I bet Discord hid the elements in the palace labyrinth!” The princess nodded. “Good luck, my little ponies!” she said. “The fate of Equestria is in your hooves.” “Thanks, Princess,” said Twilight. “We won’t let you down!” Without delay, the six mares galloped out of the chamber, wondering what adventures lay between them and the Elements of Harmony. As she galloped through the palace with her friends, Pinkie Pie wondered why Princess Celestia wasn’t going to help them find the elements. What a silly thing to wonder about. The princess must be protecting Canterlot from Discord’s tricks. What would all the ponies do without her? Enjoy chocolate rain. And? “Come to think of it, why is Princess Celestia so mad at Discord?” Without meaning to, Pinkie Pie had spoken her thoughts out loud. The other mares stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Pinkie in wonder. “What do you mean, Pinkie?” said Rainbow Dash. “Weren’t you listening to everything Princess Celestia said?” “I mighta missed just a tiny bit,” said Pinkie, turning redder than usual. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Discord is a spirit if disharmony,” she said. “Y’know what that means? It means he likes it when ponies don’t get along!” “Pinkie,” said Twilight firmly, “Princess Celestia said that Discord ruled Equestria before she and Princess Luna turned him into stone. She said that under his rule, the ponies were miserable. That’s why he had to be defeated last time, and that’s why he has to be defeated this time.” The others nodded, but Pinkie said nothing. Before the ponies had even left the palace, Pinkie heard a tiny voice in her ear. Pinkie Pie, it said. Where are you going? Pinkie Pie fell three strides behind her friends. “You ok there, sugarcube?” said Applejack, slowing down to match Pinkie Pie’s pace. “I’m fine,” said Pinkie. “You should hurry. I’m coming as fast as I can.” Applejack gave her a reassuring look and caught up with the others. “Discord?” whispered Pinkie Pie. “You are not a good creature, and if I become your friend, you’ll just hurt me like you hurt all those ponies before Celestia came along.” Hurt? said Discord. When did I ever hurt anypony? “But Princess Celestia told us you made all the ponies miserable.” Did Celestia really say I made everypony miserable? “Ya. Twilight said that’s why you got turned into a statue and why we have to defeat you again.” Discord laughed. OHOHOHO That's just what I'd expect from Celestia's prize student. But do you really think this time is just like last time? “Well…” Pinkie Pie was miserable but only because her friends’ advice not to trust Discord went against her instincts. But her instincts were better than her friends’, and now that Discord brought it up, he hadn’t done anything to make her miserable. Only Celestia was miserable because she had no sense of humor, and her friends were miserable because Celestia was miserable, and Pinkie Pie would not let them hurt Discord. Pinkie's ChoicePinkie Pie was angry. The other ponies sped through the palace gates, but she turned on a dime and galloped up to Canterlot Tower. If her friends were ever to believe her, she had to convince Celestia first. She wasn’t used to being angry, and her insecurity made her even angrier. And that scared her. She tried to think of a funny song, but nothing came to mind. She tried to hum her favorite polka, but she was too flustered to remember it. A tear escaped Pinkie Pie’s eye, and it was swept away by the cold air as she ran as fast as she could to Celestia’s special chamber. When she arrived, she burst through the doors for the third time that day and collapsed, winded after sprinting up countless flights of stairs. “Celestia!” she gasped, but when she looked up, she realized she was alone in the room. She began to sob, and she buried her face in her foreleg. “Pinkie Pie,” said Discord gently. Pinkie Pie looked up again and saw him on the other side of the chamber, standing in front of Celestia’s vault. “Why are you crying, Pinkie Pie?” He began to walk toward her, his forelegs outstretched. All weariness fell from her limbs, and Pinkie Pie ran to her friend. She hugged him, and then she sat on the floor, no longer crying. “I can’t find Celestia,” she said. “That’s why I was crying.” Discord laughed, and immediately, Pinkie Pie’s spirits rose. She laughed too. “Don’t worry about Celestia; she won’t bother us today,” said Discord. “But you told my friends where the Elements of Harmony are. What if they try to turn you into a statue again?” “They can’t use the elements if they’re missing the Element of Laughter, can they? Forget them. Without you, they’re just so boring! Why don’t you and I find something else to play?” “You’re right, Discord. I don’t know why I was crying when we have so much to do!” “That’s the spirit, Pinkie Pie!” Discord was delighted. He skipped like a child, ready to lead Pinkie Pie out of the chamber. Just then, all of the windows shattered, and a rainbow-colored shock wave passed through the chamber over Pinkie Pie’s head. A moment later, Rainbow Dash passed through an empty window frame and landed solidly on the tiled floor, glaring menacingly at Pinkie Pie’s friend. “Discord!” she said, poised to charge. “WAIT!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Rainbow Dash, give him a chance to explain himself. He’s really not that bad.” “Stand aside, Pinkie! he’s a threat to all of Equestria.” “No he’s not! Just trust me, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow could see that Pinkie was being sincere, and she couldn’t bring herself to say no. Besides, the other four mares were on their way, and maybe Rainbow would have a better chance against Discord if she could stall until her friends arrived. “Alright,” she said. “This better be good.” Twilight Sparkle rushed past the royal guards and into the palace. What was Pinkie thinking? Did she seriously not understand that Discord was evil? Why didn’t she trust Princess Celestia? Twilight thought back to that morning, trying to find some explanation for Pinkie’s behavior. She was there when Twilight had read Princess Celestia’s letter. All the friends had helped clean up Sweet Apple Acres, and Pinkie’s job was… Twilight realized she hadn’t given Pinkie a job. She had forgotten all about her. She turned to Applejack, who was galloping beside her. “Do you think I’ve been ignoring Pinkie Pie?” she said. “I think we’ve all been ignorin’ her,” said Applejack. “Did you see her on the train? She was right depressin’ compared to her usual self.” “No, Applejack, I didn’t notice her on the train.” Twilight lowered her eyes dejectedly. “Now then, dear,” said Rarity, “if you don’t look where you’re going, you’re sure to run into something.” “She sure loved the garden,” said Fluttershy abruptly. “At first I thought she was just being Pinkie Pie, and then I thought maybe she really liked the plants and animals, so I didn’t tell anypony she’d stayed behind. That and I didn’t want to bother anypony.” Twilight should have been upset with Fluttershy for not speaking up, but she looked so sorry and so worried about Pinkie that Twilight couldn’t find it in her heart to be stern. “And did you see the look on her face while we were talking with that scoundrel Discord?” said Rarity. “It was most unbecoming. I didn’t know Pinkie Pie was capable of thinking so hard and looking so confused.” “I didn’t notice any of these things,” said Twilight. “Am I a horrible friend?” “Don’ say that,” said Applejack. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t a known about the Elements o’ Harmony in the first place, and we wouldn’t a grown so close or learned so many things about friendship.” The other ponies nodded their agreement, but Twilight didn’t feel better. All she could do was gallop as fast as she could and hope Rainbow Dash could talk some sense into Pinkie Pie. “Alright, Discord. Explain yourself!” said Rainbow Dash. Discord laughed. “Oh Rainbow Dash,” he said with a smirk. “How loyal you are to help your friend when you could just as easily help Cloudsdale. That’s where you were born, right? I was there just this morning, and let me tell you, it was dull! Don’t worry, I took care of that. But maybe I should look in on it again. What do you think?” Rainbow gasped, and her breathing quickened. “Pinkie, how can you possibly trust this guy?” She had a point, but to be fair, everypony in Equestria was mean to Discord, and Pinkie Pie didn’t blame him if he didn’t like her friends. Still, he was out of line to threaten Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie was determined to make peace between them. “Discord, what did you do in Cloudsdale?” she asked. “Didn’t she tell you?” he said. “Just some cola rain here and there. Not as tasty as chocolate, I know, but I just had to be creative. Surely you’re not angry with me, Pinkie Pie?” As a matter of fact, she was mad at him. She was mad at him for being so nasty to her friends, and she was just as mad at her friends for being nasty to him. If only her old friends could get along with her new friend! Rainbow held her breath, waiting for Pinkie’s judgment. Discord stroked his mane with his talon. Digging up old memories, Rainbow thought back to a similar situation involving herself, Pinkie Pie, and a griffon. She remembered Twilight’s old friendship report word for word: Dearest Princess Celestia, Today I learned that it's hard to accept when somepony you like wants to spend time with somepony who's not so nice. Though it's impossible to control who your friends hang out with, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who is true will surely come to light. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle This time was different because not only was Discord a bad friend; he was downright dangerous. All the same, Rainbow knew that she couldn’t force Pinkie to realize the truth about him. She could only continue to be a good friend and hope that Pinkie would come to her senses. Pinkie Pie tried desperately to find a solution to her problem. She remembered her trip to Appleloosa. How did Twilight Sparkle’s friendship report go? Friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing. Even the worst of enemies can become friends. You need understanding and compromise. Right now, Pinkie Pie didn’t think Discord and the others could ever become friends, but she was determined to find understanding and compromise in this mess. “Discord,” she said. “I love tricks and pranks as much as you, but if nopony else likes them, then you have to stop.” Rainbow nodded. “And you,” said Pinkie Pie, turning her stern face to Rainbow Dash. “How can you be so cruel to this poor creature? As far as I can tell, I’m his only friend. Even if he can be a little mean, don’t you think the best way to deal with him is to show him a little kindness?” What should I do as a good friend? thought Rainbow. A single tear fell at her hooves, and standing tall and proud, she looked Pinkie in the eye. “No, Pinkie,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the best way to deal with him. I’m sorry. I know it hurts you to meet someone you can’t be friends with, and it hurts me to say this, even so, I have to tell you that he is not a true friend. And as long as he’s causing trouble in Equestria, I will stand against him.” “What a shame,” said Discord. Pinkie Pie was too naïve to catch the mockery in his voice. “If she’s so certain that I’m a bad friend, then you should listen to her. Maybe she needs you more than I do, Pinkie Pie. Go on. I’ll just find some other friends. Somewhere.” Pinkie Pie gaped at Rainbow Dash. She started to say something, but the other ponies burst into the chamber, panting after their race to Canterlot Tower. “Pinkie!” shouted Twilight, fighting exhaustion, “I’m sorry I ignored you at Sweet Apple Acres. I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were feeling down on the train or that you stayed behind in the garden and that I told Princess Celestia not to listen to you. Most of all, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell how much it hurt you that you had to choose between us and Discord! I’ve been so distracted today that I didn’t even think about how you might be feeling. I’m so sorry!” Pinkie Pie wasn’t sure what to say to such a heartfelt apology. She was happy that Twilight Sparkle was finally acknowledging her, but she wanted more. She wanted her friends to acknowledge Discord and to make peace with him. Until they were willing to do that, she couldn’t completely forgive them. “Thanks, Twilight, and I forgive you for ignoring me,” she said. “You had all of Equestria to worry about, and I’m just one pony. But won’t you give Discord a chance? He’s nice and fun, just like me. I’m sure if Celestia—” “Listen to yourself, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “You’re even starting to talk like Discord. Do you really think you know him better than Princess Celestia does? Trust her like I do, or you’ll find out the hard way that Discord is rotten.” “There you go ignoring me again!” said Pinkie Pie. “None of you will listen to me, even after you said you were sorry. Real friends don’t brush each other off!” “No, Pinkie Pie. I’m the only one who’s to blame for ignoring you today. On the train, Applejack noticed you were gloomy, and Fluttershy noticed that you stayed behind in the garden. Rarity could tell that you weren’t sure what to think about Discord when he talked to us earlier. And you should especially thank Rainbow Dash, who noticed you weren’t with us when we reached the maze. She even guessed where you’d gone and why. If they didn’t say anything, it’s because they couldn’t or they trusted you to do the right thing.” Twilight was right. Rainbow Dash had performed a sonic rainboom so she could talk to Pinkie Pie as soon as possible, Applejack had actually approached her on the train, and of course Rarity couldn’t interrupt Celestia to ask Pinkie Pie what she was thinking about. Only Fluttershy missed her opportunity to help Pinkie Pie, and that was probably because she was too shy to point out her odd behavior. And, of course, Twilight hadn’t noticed anything, but she’d already apologized for that. “Then why aren’t any of you listening to me now?” said Pinkie Pie. “Because Discord is evil, and the best thing we can do as your good friends is to stop you from helping him.” “No,” said Rainbow. “We’ve said all there is to say, Pinkie, and we’ll be disappointed if you still think Discord is your friend. But we can’t force you to see the truth. All we can do is hope you make the right choice in the end.” She calmly walked to the door. “Come on, everypony. As long as we’re in Canterlot, we should look for the Elements of Harmony. If you change your mind, Pinkie, we’ll be in the maze.” Reluctantly, everypony except Discord and Pinkie Pie followed Rainbow out of the chamber, and they slowly made their way back to the palace labyrinth. Pinkie Pie turned to Discord, surprised that he hadn’t said anything since her friends had arrived. “You know,” she said, “you really should give back the Elements of Harmony.” “Why, so your friends can turn me into stone again?” said Discord. “You know they can’t use the elements unless I help them, so you’ll be ok as long as I’m your friend.” “Why would they want the elements if they can’t use them?” “Because, what if we need them for something else? I’m still their friend, you know, even if I won’t help them turn you into a statue.” Discord hesitated. He hadn’t expected Pinkie Pie’s friends to leave her alone with him. They were supposed to do everything in their power to stop him from spending time with Pinkie Pie, thereby losing her trust. As long as she was still their friend, Discord would be in terrible danger. “The elements are easy enough to find,” he said. “Don’t worry about your friends. Now, you need to cheer up! You’ve been much too serious today, and now you need to be yourself. Shall we?” he gestured to the door, and the two friends returned to the royal garden, where Pinkie was delighted to find that chocolate bunnies were hopping around, laying Cadbury eggs. Then she noticed that all the palace gardeners were chasing the bunnies, frantically collecting the eggs and begging the creatures to stand still. “Discord,” she said sternly, “This is the second time you’ve broken your promise. Why haven’t you given up your tricks yet? Don’t you want Celestia to trust you?” Now Discord was annoyed. Not only was Pinkie Pie still friends with the rest of Celestia’s minions, but she expected him to behave. This wasn’t at all what Discord had planned. He wasn’t satisfied with being freed from his cold prison. He wanted to rule again, and Pinkie Pie was ruining everything! There was no point in tricking Pinkie Pie if Discord wasn’t free to have fun, so he would have tell her plainly that he had no intention of obeying Celestia. “Come on Pinkie Pie,” he said, “you know how boring Celestia is. If she doesn’t trust us, it’s her business. We don’t have to be boring just because she doesn’t have a sense of humor.” Pinkie Pie stared at her hooves. She began to shake. These tricks weren’t funny anymore, and Discord was turning out to be a little nastier than she had expected. Perhaps her friends were right. Perhaps she couldn’t trust him. “Maybe not,” she said. “But we do have to obey her because she’s the princess.” Discord was silent. “I suppose that your loyalty was just a mask after all. And that from the beginning you were dishonest with me. Were you really being generous by giving me a giant cake, or were you using me? And I’ve seen how unkind you can be to my friends and Princess Celestia. What about your tricks? Are they really supposed to make us laugh when all they do is cause trouble? Dashie was right; you’re not a true friend. Thanks for the chocolate, but I have to get back to my real friends. And I don’t think I’ll play with you again.” Discord laughed, and rogue lightning flashed behind him. “Very well,” he said with a grin, “but if you’re going to be on their team, then be warned: if you go into the labyrinth with your friends, you just might come out with no friends at all!” Then, he vanished in a flash of white light. Pinkie stood quietly for a moment before galloping off toward the palace labyrinth. When she arrived, she found her friends waiting for her on the path to the maze. They hugged and cried a little, and then the friends hurried to the maze’s entrance. They stood all in a row, and each pony stepped resolutely into the labyrinth, ready for whatever adventures lay ahead.
Harmless PranksOne sunny morning in Ponyville, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were hard at work baking four dozen cupcakes for Mayor Mare’s birthday party. The party wasn’t until that afternoon, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn’t mind starting their work a little early. They prided themselves on punctuality. As Mrs. Cake tested the first batch of cupcakes with a toothpick, a pink mare hopped downstairs, somehow balancing a one-bit coin on her nose, the narrow side touching her face and the flat sides spinning round and round like a top. When the mare reached the landing, she stopped for a moment, obviously waiting for some sort of recognition from the Cakes. Unfortunately, the bakers were so used to her antics that they didn’t bat an eye at this particular eccentricity. “Hiya, Mrs. Cake! You look pretty busy!” said the mare, sticking her nose out to show off her new trick. “Oh, hello, Pinkie dear,” replied Mrs. Cake. “We were just baking some cupcakes for a very important order. Why don’t you help yourself to a bite in the other room?” “I already had breakfast, silly!” said Pinkie Pie, ignoring Mrs. Cake’s hint. She crouched behind a counter and slowly lifted her nose above the surface so that the Cakes would be sure to notice her bit trick. Mr. Cake sighed. “Is that a bit you’ve got there?” he asked. “Oh yes, indeedy!” shouted Pinkie Pie, springing into view. “It’s an easy trick! Do you wanna try?” Mr. Cake tried to protest, but he knew that until he humored the young mare, she would never leave him in peace. “Alright, Pinkie, I’ll try,” he said. Still balancing her own bit, Pinkie Pie tossed Mr. Cake another coin, and he awkwardly positioned it on his nose. “Like this!” said Pinkie Pie, and she spun the bit on Mr. Cake’s nose. He was so flustered, he drew back sharply, and the bit skidded across the kitchen floor. The deed was done, however, and there on Mr. Cakes snout was an obvious graphite mark. Mrs. Cake shook her head, and Pinkie Pie snorted, pleased with herself for getting away with her stupid prank. Her own bit fell as she rolled on the floor, laughing. Mr. Cake frowned and washed his face in the sink, and Pinkie strutted out of Sugarcube Corner in search of other fun things to do. “I know!” she said. “If I’m gonna be prankster, I should go and find Dashie, and we can do it together!” Rainbow Dash sped over Town Hall, stretching her wings as she always did in the morning. She raced toward the market, a rainbow in her wake, and then flew up sharply toward the sun. Out of nowhere, a cloud collided with her, and in her surprise, she spun out of control. Regaining her balance, Rainbow Dash glanced over and said angrily, “Come back here you!” She charged the renegade cloud and tackled it, expecting it to burst and dissipate. In a bizarre turn of events, Rainbow Dash found herself covered with sticky, pink cloud. “Eww, what is this?” asked the bewildered Rainbow Dash. She licked the cloud. “Cotton candy?” To Rainbow’s surprise, dozens of pink clouds appeared out of thin air and zoomed back and forth. Above her, she heard a thunderclap, and one of the clouds began to leak. “Wait a second!” said Rainbow Dash, obviously annoyed. “It’s not supposed to rain until tomorrow. You can’t just—” Suddenly, she found herself drenched with rain. No, not rain. She could have sworn it was—but no, it couldn’t be… “Dashie!” Pinkie Pie shouted to get Rainbow’s attention, but it was too late. The pegasus had dashed off after one of the clouds in a hunt that was destined to fail. Pinkie sagged for a moment, disappointed that her friend was too busy to play with her. Then, she noticed the clouds and the rain. She giggled and bounced away, following Rainbow across Ponyville. Later, Applejack was harvesting corn at Sweet Apple Acres. It seemed like a normal day until a pink cloud soared over the barn, pursued by Rainbow Dash. “Hey, I didn't tell you to go anywhere!” shouted Rainbow. Apart from the cloud’s unusual color, Applejack noticed three disturbing things about the situation. First, the cloud was raining. Second, it was followed by dozens of rainclouds just like it. Third, the rain was… brown! “Rainbow Dash,” demanded Applejack, “what's going on with this rain? I mean chocolate milk? I mean chocolate milk rain?!” “There's crazy weather all over Equestria!” said Rainbow Dash. “Cloudsdale’s getting soaked by a major cola storm right now! But don't worry. I'm not leaving you till I get control of Ponyville!” Applejack didn’t think Rainbow could ever control this chaos, especially since the Sweet Apple Acres cornfields had just begun to pop, showering the area with a delicious, buttery snack. “Why would you wanna stop this??” said Pinkie Pie, diving in and out of the popcorn and catching chocolate rain on her tongue. She hadn’t had so much fun since her trip to Canterlot four months ago. Anyway, meteorological candy was a far more spectacular prank than anything she could hope to accomplish, and she planned to enjoy it to the fullest. Meanwhile, Rarity strolled daintily by the popcorn fields wearing an expensive purple hat and an umbrella saddle. She cleared her throat. “I heard about your troubles, Applejack, and I came to see if there's anything I can do without getting wet. Or dirty. Or out from under my umbrella,” she said. Without warning, all of the unpicked apples on the farm grew to the size of pumpkins, and the apple trees bent and groaned under the weight. Noticing the luscious fruit, small rodents from all over climbed the trees and began gorging themselves. “Fluttershy! Do something!” screamed Applejack, afraid for her family’s apple trees. Fluttershy gently scolded her pet rabbit, who was among the first animals to bite into an apple. “Now, Angel, you really shouldn't—” she began, when Angel’s legs quickly grew to the size of giraffe legs. “No! It's not possible! I must be seeing things!” said Fluttershy, panicking as the other rabbits grew giraffe legs just like Angel’s. Just then, Twilight Sparkle showed up, accompanied by her valet dragon, Spike. “Don't worry everyone,” she said triumphantly. “I've learned a new spell that'll fix everything.” After consulting a book, she cast her spell, and her trademark purple aura swept over Sweet Apple Acres, leaving everything… exactly as it was before Twilight showed up. “My fail-safe spell... failed,” said Twilight, genuinely surprised. “What do we do?” “Uh, give up?” suggested Spike. “Spike, Twilight will come up with something,” said Rarity, generously giving Twilight her umbrella saddle. Twilight thought for a moment. “Time for plan B,” she said confidently. “Rainbow, can you corral all those clouds in one corner of the sky?” Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash zipped across the sky, herding the cotton candy clouds together into one massive ball of sugar. “Applejack,” said Twilight, “I need you to bring those high-strung storm clouds down to Earth.” Applejack lassoed the giant cloud and pulled it to the ground, disappointing Pinkie Pie, who had been enjoying the last of the chocolate rain. However, the rose pony was determined to take advantage of this opportunity to have fun. She rushed over to the cloud and began tearing away at it with her teeth, eating the candy like a pig, as she always did. “Oh dear,” said Fluttershy at Twilight’s request. “I hope none of the animals see these delicious chocolate-filled cotton candy clouds. I'd hate to have to share them.” “You and me both, sister!” said Pinkie Pie, oblivious to Twilight’s plan. “Hey!” she shouted, as the bow-legged rabbits and their rodent friends sped to the cloud and devoured it. Now Pinkie was really annoyed with her boring friends for ruining the fun. While the other ponies celebrated their victory, Pinkie sulked in a corner, not bothering to wipe her chocolate-covered face. Suddenly, Spike belched, and a sealed letter burst from his fiery breath. Curious, Pinkie Pie joined her friends as Twilight broke the seal and silently read Princess Celestia’s letter. Twilight gasped. “Come on, girls. Princess Celestia wants to see us all in Canterlot immediately!” On the train to Canterlot, Pinkie Pie curled up in the backseat, staring out of the window and wishing she could enjoy the sight of a candy-covered Equestria. Already, new clouds had overshadowed Sweet Apple Acres, and the animals had been too full of apples and cotton candy to eat the popcorn that blanketed Applejack’s cornfields. In the distance, the Everfree Forest had already become a mysterious world, liberated from its old tyrant, reason. Patches of trees floated here and there above the forest, some of them hanging upside-down on invisible strings. If Pinkie Pie had had eagle eyes, she would have seen Fluttershy’s friend Harry tearing licorice vines from the branches and eating them one by one. She would have seen Zecora impatiently shooing the woodland animals away from her candy hut. She would have seen a violet filly float to and fro, inspecting the forest and tampering with anything that seemed too ordinary. And she would have relished all of it. This was the best day ever, and Princess Celestia had summoned her to destroy it. “Why the long face, sugarcube?” asked Applejack. Pinkie giggled and looked out over Equestria, ignoring Applejack’s question. Maybe Pinkie was wrong to enjoy the cotton candy clouds and the chocolate rain. After all, her friends saw the unusual weather as a threat. Maybe they were right. Then again, Pinkie knew to trust her instincts. Nopony else’s gut reactions were half as good as hers, and all she felt about the candy weather was glee. The train pulled into Canterlot, and the six mares stepped onto the platform. Everything seemed perfectly sane in Equestria’s capital city. Whatever was causing the phenomena, maybe Princess Celestia was powerful enough to overcome it. The friends set off towards the palace, Twilight Sparkle in the lead and Pinkie Pie in the rear. Pinkie had just made up her mind to trust her friends when something colorful caught her eye. She turned and squinted through the crowd of ponies in Canterlot Market, but whatever she had seen was nowhere to be found. She shrugged and bounced after her friends. No sooner had the mares entered the palace garden than Pinkie Pie caught another flash of color in the corner of her eye. This time, she broke away from the group and chased it behind some shrubbery. There, she found three balloons: one teal, one cyan, and one yellow. Pinkie snorted her amusement and lightly batted at the balloons, forgetting about her audience with the princess. To her surprise, the balloons turned in midair, revealing three cartoonish faces. “Hello, young mare,” said the teal balloon in a friendly, male voice. “You look awfully bubbly to be stuck in the stuffy palace on a day like this. Why don’t you stay in the garden with us?” “Maybe you haven’t heard,” replied Pinkie, “but weird things have been happening in Equestria. The princess wants me and my friends to do something about it.” “Really? What sort of things?” “Well, it’s raining, but it’s not supposed to rain till tomorrow. And clouds are moving around on their own…” “Is that all? I’m sure the pegasi could clear that up in ten seconds flat!” “But the clouds are made of cotton candy! And the rain is made of chocolate! And no matter how fast the pegasi work, the clouds just keep coming!” The three balloons guffawed. If they had had arms, surely they would have clutched their sides in amusement. “Why, that sounds marvelous! What a ridiculous sight! Cotton candy, you say? And I’m sure you loved the chocolate rain?” said the teal balloon, nudging Pinkie Pie with its string. “Well, it was kinda tasty…” admitted Pinkie Pie. “What’s wrong, then? Does Celestia really care about such a harmless prank?” “But the rabbits have really big legs, and the forest is going crazy, and the apples are ginormous, and and and—” Pinkie struggled to defend Princess Celestia. She had just made up her mind to do whatever the princess asked of her, and she wasn’t about to let a talking balloon dissuade her. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” said the teal balloon sincerely, “I’m sorry I made you so upset. I completely understand if you don’t like my tricks. They were all in good fun, but you’re probably right. The princess knows best, and if she says they must go, then they must go.” Pinkie’s jaw dropped. Never mind that the balloon knew her name before she had introduced herself. Did it say that it had caused all the mayhem in Equestria? Pinkie heard a thunderclap, and she found her mane soaked with chocolate rain. Looking up, she found that Canterlot was overshadowed by pink clouds. She turned to the balloons, ready to speak, but they had vanished. “Pinkie!” Twilight Sparkle trotted through the royal garden anxiously. “You know what a hurry we’re in, Pinkie Pie!” she scolded. The two friends galloped off to find the others, and they approached the palace for an audience with the princess.
DiscordTwilight Sparkle burst through the tall palace doors, followed by Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie followed behind her friends. There, pacing in the hall, stood the princess herself. “Princess Celestia!” said Twilight. “We came as fast as we could.” “Thank you, Twilight,” replied the princess. “Thank you all.” “Is this about the weather?” asked Twilight. “And the animals’ weird behavior? What’s happening out there? Why isn’t my magic working? Is there—” Princess Celestia cut her off and led the ponies to a long chamber in Canterlot Tower. The walls were adorned with great stained glass windows, filling the chamber with brilliant colors in what sunlight managed to break through the clouds. Some of the windows portrayed an ugly chimera. The floor and ceiling were set with blue, pink, and purple tiles, and great pillars lined the chamber on either side. Hanging from the pillars were beautiful white flowers. At the far end of the room stood gilded iron doors sealed with Princess Celestia’s emblem and flanked by two fierce stone unicorns. Pinkie Pie gaped in wonder at the magnificent colors, and she found it hard to focus on the princess’s exposition. The longer Princess Celestia talked, the more distracted Pinkie Pie became. She heard about Princess Celestia’s old foe, somepony named Discord, how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had turned him into stone, and something about the Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a picture of herself in a stained glass window. In fact, the window depicted Nightmare Moon’s downfall. “Hey look! We’re famous!” said Pinkie Pie, not noticing how rudely she had interrupted the princess. “You six showed the full potential of the elements by harnessing the magic of your friendship to beat a mighty foe,” said Princess Celestia. “Although Luna and I once wielded the elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord.” The princess meant to capture Pinkie Pie’s attention, and she succeeded. But Pinkie Pie knew that defeating Discord meant rejecting all of his fun pranks, so she hesitated. “Hold on a second!” she shouted. “Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys. Chocolate rain!” Of course, the other mares didn’t take her seriously, and Twilight was the first to brush her off. “Don't listen to her, Princess,” she said. “We'd be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.” With her horn, the princess undid the magical seal that had been placed on the great iron doors. They opened, revealing a heavy, jeweled chest wherein the princess kept the Elements of Harmony. “Have no fear, ponies.” said the princess, removing the chest from its hiding place. “I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord with these!” She opened the chest, and they all gasped in shock. It was empty! Nopony was as surprised as Princess Celestia, who drew back in disbelief, letting the chest fall with a thud. Her most secure vault had been burgled, and her most powerful magic had been overcome. The moment of silence that followed seemed to last a year. The same gaping expression was fixed on everypony’s face as they stared at the empty chest and wondered what would happen next and how they were to defeat Discord without the Elements of Harmony. Pinkie Pie recovered first. Actually, she was amused by Princess Celestia’s reaction and a little relieved that she no longer had to choose whether or not to use her element to defeat Discord. Also, though she wouldn’t admit it to herself, it was a little gratifying to see the other mares dumbfounded after they had so smugly ignored her all day. “Oh, well,” she said wearing a cheery grin. “If anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw.” She trotted out of the chamber and left the palace, ready to enjoy this wonderful day. As she pranced out of the palace and into the garden, Pinkie Pie decided to look for her helium-filled friends. She searched behind every tree and every bush, but the colorful balloons were nowhere to be found. She had just given up hope when she stumbled upon a huge, frosted cake. The cake stood a head taller than Pinkie, and its three round layers each held a hundred tiny candles. The top layer was covered in yellow frosting, the middle layer was teal, and the bottom layer was cyan. Pinkie giggled and pulled out a pogo stick. She bounced as high as she could in order to see the top of the cake, and to her surprise, it read: HAPPY MIRTHDAY, PINKIE PIE! Once again, Pinkie rolled on the ground in laughter, tears running down her face. She managed to control herself and stood up to take a bite of cake, but as she approached it, somepony—no, something—burst from the top layer, its arms spread out in joy and a goofy smile on its ugly face. “Surprise!” it said. Cake and candles splattered the lawn and Pinkie, but she was so astonished, she didn’t even bother to lick the frosting out of her coat. The thing that had burst out of Pinkie’s mirthday cake looked like a pony, but its right foreleg was a lion paw, its left foreleg was an eagle or griffon talon, and it had a horn and an antler, a scaly tail and right back leg, a buffalo left back leg, a pegasus wing, and a bat wing. There was no doubt that this creature was the very same chimera that Pinkie had seen in Canterlot Tower. “Dis…cord?” asked Pinkie. She wasn’t afraid, but she hesitated to trust this creature, whom Princess Celestia had trapped away in stone for so many years. “The one and only,” said Discord dramatically, striking a Shakespearean pose. Pinkie Pie recognized his voice. Discord was, in fact, the teal balloon. Probably all three balloons. “So,” he continued, “how should we celebrate your mirthday, Pinkie Pie? You’re particularly fond of tricks, and I’m particularly good at them, so I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s only one thing to do today.” “Weren’t you gonna stop your tricks?” said Pinkie. “I see more clouds over Canterlot than ever! You should keep them in the garden so we can have a party without bothering Princess Celestia.” “You’re right, Pinkie Pie, I have taken these harmless pranks a little far, haven’t I?” Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash of white light, all the clouds disappeared but one. A single pink raincloud loomed over Pinkie’s head and showered her with chocolate rain. Delighted, Pinkie threw herself on the ground and allowed the rain to fall directly into her open mouth. When she had had her fill, Pinkie Pie stood up, and the pink cloud disappeared. She was surprised to find that she felt guilty for enjoying herself when all her friends could think of was defeating Discord. “Sorry,” she said, “but I really should get back to my friends.” “So soon?” pouted Discord, looking genuinely disappointed. “Well, if you must, you must. Promise you’ll play with me another time?” After a moment, Pinkie smiled and said, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” With a light heart, she turned and made her way to Canterlot Tower, where her friends sat in doubt, waiting silently.
Pinkie Pie's ProblemPrincess Celestia paced anxiously. She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock, and her ancient mind was wholly devoted to finding a way to defeat Discord. The other five mares said nothing, afraid to break the princess’s concentration. When a grinning Pinkie Pie shamelessly threw open the doors and strutted into the chamber, only Rainbow Dash spoke, annoyed that Pinkie wasn’t taking their problem seriously. “And where were you for the last twenty minutes?” she said, her arms folded and a scowl on her face. “You really should listen, Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie. “I was having fun in the rain!” “Speakin’ of which,” said Applejack, “did y’all notice the sky cleared up?” All of the ponies except the princess looked out of an open window and, sure enough, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Maybe Discord really had given up his pranks. “I, for one, am simply delighted that this Discord character is finished with his ridiculous display,” said Rarity. “I’ve fallen behind on a dress I’m making for a very important client, and I absolutely must return to the boutique. With your leave, Princess. We’ll have to hurry to catch the train back to Ponyville.” “I agree,” said Fluttershy, “if you don’t mind, that is…” “Girls, we can’t let our guard down!” said Twilight Sparkle. “Yes, the sky is clear, but who’s to say Discord won’t strike again? Don’t forget about the elements—they’re gone!” “That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break. This doesn’t make sense!” said the princess. She kept pacing, and Twilight could tell that she was still thinking of a plan. Suddenly, a mysterious cackle broke the tension. The mares looked around, but nopony was there. “Make sense?” said a voice from nowhere. “What fun is there in making sense?” “Discord! Show yourself!” commanded Celestia. She was angry. Angrier than Twilight had ever seen her. And Twilight could have sworn the Princess was afraid. Discord laughed again, and the princess searched every corner of the room with her terrible eyes. “Did you miss me, Celestia?” said Discord. “I missed you!” With a flash of white light, an image of Discord in one of the windows began to move all on its own. “It's quite lonely being encased in stone,” said the image in a mock friendly voice, “but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone.” Pinkie Pie didn’t like this dark, bitter side of Discord. Where was the funny prankster who gave everypony candy? Or the considerate friend who baked Pinkie a mirthday cake? Or the loyal subject who immediately cleaned up the sky upon learning that the princess was displeased? Were those Discords just masks to hide this ugly creature? “Enough!” said the princess. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while,” said Discord. “You’ll never get away with this, Discord!” “Oh, I’d forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It’s really quite boring.” “Hey!” shouted Rainbow Dash, “nopony insults the princess!” Without thinking, she charged, but the image vanished in a flash of light, leaving Rainbow to crash into an ordinary stained glass window. The glass Discord reappeared. “Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash,” it said, “famed for your loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent.” “That’s right! I’ll always be loyal to the princess!” “We’ll see about that.” Now Pinkie Pie was sure that Discord couldn’t be trusted. She didn’t mind that he had called the princess boring. The princess was boring. Only a boring pony could pass up chocolate rain. But no matter how boring the princess was, she was still royalty. She was the bringer of the sun and the wise monarch who had ruled Equestria in peace for a thousand years. If anypony deserved the mares’ loyalty, it was Princess Celestia. “I can’t believe we’re wasting our time talking to a tacky window,” said Rarity. “The beautiful Rarity,” said Discord, “representing the element of generosity, if I’m not mistaken.” “So y’know who we are,” said Applejack. “Big deal.” “Oh, I know much more than that, honest Applejack!” “You seem to know our strengths too,” said Twilight. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle, and yours is the most powerful and elusive element, magic. Fluttershy’s is kindness and Pinkie Pie’s is a personal favorite of mine: laughter!” Discord did a silly dance on top of an image of Twilight Sparkle, and the spectacle was so funny that Pinkie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Discord was a bad creature, but he seemed so happy as he danced that Pinkie just couldn’t take him seriously. For the moment, there was no malice in his voice, and his eyes sparkled as laughter escaped his lips and mingled with Pinkie’s. Were his threats empty? Was he just a child who had tantrums now and then? Pinkie was confused, so she stopped laughing and decided to listen to Discord and the princess before judging which of them was right. “Stop stalling, Discord!” said Princess Celestia. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?” “Oh, so boring, Celestia! Really?” said Discord, pretending to be disappointed. By now, he was obviously enjoying himself, and he didn’t sound bitter at all. But whether he was a child playing or he was gloating over his prey, Pinkie couldn’t tell. “Fine,” he continued, “I’ll tell you, but I’ll only tell you my way: To retrieve your missing elements, Just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan, Then find the elements back where you began.” Discord’s voice faded into laughter, and his image fixed itself properly into its original window. “What d’y’reckon he meant?” said Applejack. “Twists and turns and endin’ back where we started?” “Twists and turns…twists and turns…” said Twilight. “That’s it! I bet Discord hid the elements in the palace labyrinth!” The princess nodded. “Good luck, my little ponies!” she said. “The fate of Equestria is in your hooves.” “Thanks, Princess,” said Twilight. “We won’t let you down!” Without delay, the six mares galloped out of the chamber, wondering what adventures lay between them and the Elements of Harmony. As she galloped through the palace with her friends, Pinkie Pie wondered why Princess Celestia wasn’t going to help them find the elements. What a silly thing to wonder about. The princess must be protecting Canterlot from Discord’s tricks. What would all the ponies do without her? Enjoy chocolate rain. And? “Come to think of it, why is Princess Celestia so mad at Discord?” Without meaning to, Pinkie Pie had spoken her thoughts out loud. The other mares stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Pinkie in wonder. “What do you mean, Pinkie?” said Rainbow Dash. “Weren’t you listening to everything Princess Celestia said?” “I mighta missed just a tiny bit,” said Pinkie, turning redder than usual. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Discord is a spirit if disharmony,” she said. “Y’know what that means? It means he likes it when ponies don’t get along!” “Pinkie,” said Twilight firmly, “Princess Celestia said that Discord ruled Equestria before she and Princess Luna turned him into stone. She said that under his rule, the ponies were miserable. That’s why he had to be defeated last time, and that’s why he has to be defeated this time.” The others nodded, but Pinkie said nothing. Before the ponies had even left the palace, Pinkie heard a tiny voice in her ear. Pinkie Pie, it said. Where are you going? Pinkie Pie fell three strides behind her friends. “You ok there, sugarcube?” said Applejack, slowing down to match Pinkie Pie’s pace. “I’m fine,” said Pinkie. “You should hurry. I’m coming as fast as I can.” Applejack gave her a reassuring look and caught up with the others. “Discord?” whispered Pinkie Pie. “You are not a good creature, and if I become your friend, you’ll just hurt me like you hurt all those ponies before Celestia came along.” Hurt? said Discord. When did I ever hurt anypony? “But Princess Celestia told us you made all the ponies miserable.” Did Celestia really say I made everypony miserable? “Ya. Twilight said that’s why you got turned into a statue and why we have to defeat you again.” Discord laughed. OHOHOHO That's just what I'd expect from Celestia's prize student. But do you really think this time is just like last time? “Well…” Pinkie Pie was miserable but only because her friends’ advice not to trust Discord went against her instincts. But her instincts were better than her friends’, and now that Discord brought it up, he hadn’t done anything to make her miserable. Only Celestia was miserable because she had no sense of humor, and her friends were miserable because Celestia was miserable, and Pinkie Pie would not let them hurt Discord.
Pinkie's ChoicePinkie Pie was angry. The other ponies sped through the palace gates, but she turned on a dime and galloped up to Canterlot Tower. If her friends were ever to believe her, she had to convince Celestia first. She wasn’t used to being angry, and her insecurity made her even angrier. And that scared her. She tried to think of a funny song, but nothing came to mind. She tried to hum her favorite polka, but she was too flustered to remember it. A tear escaped Pinkie Pie’s eye, and it was swept away by the cold air as she ran as fast as she could to Celestia’s special chamber. When she arrived, she burst through the doors for the third time that day and collapsed, winded after sprinting up countless flights of stairs. “Celestia!” she gasped, but when she looked up, she realized she was alone in the room. She began to sob, and she buried her face in her foreleg. “Pinkie Pie,” said Discord gently. Pinkie Pie looked up again and saw him on the other side of the chamber, standing in front of Celestia’s vault. “Why are you crying, Pinkie Pie?” He began to walk toward her, his forelegs outstretched. All weariness fell from her limbs, and Pinkie Pie ran to her friend. She hugged him, and then she sat on the floor, no longer crying. “I can’t find Celestia,” she said. “That’s why I was crying.” Discord laughed, and immediately, Pinkie Pie’s spirits rose. She laughed too. “Don’t worry about Celestia; she won’t bother us today,” said Discord. “But you told my friends where the Elements of Harmony are. What if they try to turn you into a statue again?” “They can’t use the elements if they’re missing the Element of Laughter, can they? Forget them. Without you, they’re just so boring! Why don’t you and I find something else to play?” “You’re right, Discord. I don’t know why I was crying when we have so much to do!” “That’s the spirit, Pinkie Pie!” Discord was delighted. He skipped like a child, ready to lead Pinkie Pie out of the chamber. Just then, all of the windows shattered, and a rainbow-colored shock wave passed through the chamber over Pinkie Pie’s head. A moment later, Rainbow Dash passed through an empty window frame and landed solidly on the tiled floor, glaring menacingly at Pinkie Pie’s friend. “Discord!” she said, poised to charge. “WAIT!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Rainbow Dash, give him a chance to explain himself. He’s really not that bad.” “Stand aside, Pinkie! he’s a threat to all of Equestria.” “No he’s not! Just trust me, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow could see that Pinkie was being sincere, and she couldn’t bring herself to say no. Besides, the other four mares were on their way, and maybe Rainbow would have a better chance against Discord if she could stall until her friends arrived. “Alright,” she said. “This better be good.” Twilight Sparkle rushed past the royal guards and into the palace. What was Pinkie thinking? Did she seriously not understand that Discord was evil? Why didn’t she trust Princess Celestia? Twilight thought back to that morning, trying to find some explanation for Pinkie’s behavior. She was there when Twilight had read Princess Celestia’s letter. All the friends had helped clean up Sweet Apple Acres, and Pinkie’s job was… Twilight realized she hadn’t given Pinkie a job. She had forgotten all about her. She turned to Applejack, who was galloping beside her. “Do you think I’ve been ignoring Pinkie Pie?” she said. “I think we’ve all been ignorin’ her,” said Applejack. “Did you see her on the train? She was right depressin’ compared to her usual self.” “No, Applejack, I didn’t notice her on the train.” Twilight lowered her eyes dejectedly. “Now then, dear,” said Rarity, “if you don’t look where you’re going, you’re sure to run into something.” “She sure loved the garden,” said Fluttershy abruptly. “At first I thought she was just being Pinkie Pie, and then I thought maybe she really liked the plants and animals, so I didn’t tell anypony she’d stayed behind. That and I didn’t want to bother anypony.” Twilight should have been upset with Fluttershy for not speaking up, but she looked so sorry and so worried about Pinkie that Twilight couldn’t find it in her heart to be stern. “And did you see the look on her face while we were talking with that scoundrel Discord?” said Rarity. “It was most unbecoming. I didn’t know Pinkie Pie was capable of thinking so hard and looking so confused.” “I didn’t notice any of these things,” said Twilight. “Am I a horrible friend?” “Don’ say that,” said Applejack. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t a known about the Elements o’ Harmony in the first place, and we wouldn’t a grown so close or learned so many things about friendship.” The other ponies nodded their agreement, but Twilight didn’t feel better. All she could do was gallop as fast as she could and hope Rainbow Dash could talk some sense into Pinkie Pie. “Alright, Discord. Explain yourself!” said Rainbow Dash. Discord laughed. “Oh Rainbow Dash,” he said with a smirk. “How loyal you are to help your friend when you could just as easily help Cloudsdale. That’s where you were born, right? I was there just this morning, and let me tell you, it was dull! Don’t worry, I took care of that. But maybe I should look in on it again. What do you think?” Rainbow gasped, and her breathing quickened. “Pinkie, how can you possibly trust this guy?” She had a point, but to be fair, everypony in Equestria was mean to Discord, and Pinkie Pie didn’t blame him if he didn’t like her friends. Still, he was out of line to threaten Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie was determined to make peace between them. “Discord, what did you do in Cloudsdale?” she asked. “Didn’t she tell you?” he said. “Just some cola rain here and there. Not as tasty as chocolate, I know, but I just had to be creative. Surely you’re not angry with me, Pinkie Pie?” As a matter of fact, she was mad at him. She was mad at him for being so nasty to her friends, and she was just as mad at her friends for being nasty to him. If only her old friends could get along with her new friend! Rainbow held her breath, waiting for Pinkie’s judgment. Discord stroked his mane with his talon. Digging up old memories, Rainbow thought back to a similar situation involving herself, Pinkie Pie, and a griffon. She remembered Twilight’s old friendship report word for word: Dearest Princess Celestia, Today I learned that it's hard to accept when somepony you like wants to spend time with somepony who's not so nice. Though it's impossible to control who your friends hang out with, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who is true will surely come to light. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle This time was different because not only was Discord a bad friend; he was downright dangerous. All the same, Rainbow knew that she couldn’t force Pinkie to realize the truth about him. She could only continue to be a good friend and hope that Pinkie would come to her senses. Pinkie Pie tried desperately to find a solution to her problem. She remembered her trip to Appleloosa. How did Twilight Sparkle’s friendship report go? Friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing. Even the worst of enemies can become friends. You need understanding and compromise. Right now, Pinkie Pie didn’t think Discord and the others could ever become friends, but she was determined to find understanding and compromise in this mess. “Discord,” she said. “I love tricks and pranks as much as you, but if nopony else likes them, then you have to stop.” Rainbow nodded. “And you,” said Pinkie Pie, turning her stern face to Rainbow Dash. “How can you be so cruel to this poor creature? As far as I can tell, I’m his only friend. Even if he can be a little mean, don’t you think the best way to deal with him is to show him a little kindness?” What should I do as a good friend? thought Rainbow. A single tear fell at her hooves, and standing tall and proud, she looked Pinkie in the eye. “No, Pinkie,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the best way to deal with him. I’m sorry. I know it hurts you to meet someone you can’t be friends with, and it hurts me to say this, even so, I have to tell you that he is not a true friend. And as long as he’s causing trouble in Equestria, I will stand against him.” “What a shame,” said Discord. Pinkie Pie was too naïve to catch the mockery in his voice. “If she’s so certain that I’m a bad friend, then you should listen to her. Maybe she needs you more than I do, Pinkie Pie. Go on. I’ll just find some other friends. Somewhere.” Pinkie Pie gaped at Rainbow Dash. She started to say something, but the other ponies burst into the chamber, panting after their race to Canterlot Tower. “Pinkie!” shouted Twilight, fighting exhaustion, “I’m sorry I ignored you at Sweet Apple Acres. I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were feeling down on the train or that you stayed behind in the garden and that I told Princess Celestia not to listen to you. Most of all, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell how much it hurt you that you had to choose between us and Discord! I’ve been so distracted today that I didn’t even think about how you might be feeling. I’m so sorry!” Pinkie Pie wasn’t sure what to say to such a heartfelt apology. She was happy that Twilight Sparkle was finally acknowledging her, but she wanted more. She wanted her friends to acknowledge Discord and to make peace with him. Until they were willing to do that, she couldn’t completely forgive them. “Thanks, Twilight, and I forgive you for ignoring me,” she said. “You had all of Equestria to worry about, and I’m just one pony. But won’t you give Discord a chance? He’s nice and fun, just like me. I’m sure if Celestia—” “Listen to yourself, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “You’re even starting to talk like Discord. Do you really think you know him better than Princess Celestia does? Trust her like I do, or you’ll find out the hard way that Discord is rotten.” “There you go ignoring me again!” said Pinkie Pie. “None of you will listen to me, even after you said you were sorry. Real friends don’t brush each other off!” “No, Pinkie Pie. I’m the only one who’s to blame for ignoring you today. On the train, Applejack noticed you were gloomy, and Fluttershy noticed that you stayed behind in the garden. Rarity could tell that you weren’t sure what to think about Discord when he talked to us earlier. And you should especially thank Rainbow Dash, who noticed you weren’t with us when we reached the maze. She even guessed where you’d gone and why. If they didn’t say anything, it’s because they couldn’t or they trusted you to do the right thing.” Twilight was right. Rainbow Dash had performed a sonic rainboom so she could talk to Pinkie Pie as soon as possible, Applejack had actually approached her on the train, and of course Rarity couldn’t interrupt Celestia to ask Pinkie Pie what she was thinking about. Only Fluttershy missed her opportunity to help Pinkie Pie, and that was probably because she was too shy to point out her odd behavior. And, of course, Twilight hadn’t noticed anything, but she’d already apologized for that. “Then why aren’t any of you listening to me now?” said Pinkie Pie. “Because Discord is evil, and the best thing we can do as your good friends is to stop you from helping him.” “No,” said Rainbow. “We’ve said all there is to say, Pinkie, and we’ll be disappointed if you still think Discord is your friend. But we can’t force you to see the truth. All we can do is hope you make the right choice in the end.” She calmly walked to the door. “Come on, everypony. As long as we’re in Canterlot, we should look for the Elements of Harmony. If you change your mind, Pinkie, we’ll be in the maze.” Reluctantly, everypony except Discord and Pinkie Pie followed Rainbow out of the chamber, and they slowly made their way back to the palace labyrinth. Pinkie Pie turned to Discord, surprised that he hadn’t said anything since her friends had arrived. “You know,” she said, “you really should give back the Elements of Harmony.” “Why, so your friends can turn me into stone again?” said Discord. “You know they can’t use the elements unless I help them, so you’ll be ok as long as I’m your friend.” “Why would they want the elements if they can’t use them?” “Because, what if we need them for something else? I’m still their friend, you know, even if I won’t help them turn you into a statue.” Discord hesitated. He hadn’t expected Pinkie Pie’s friends to leave her alone with him. They were supposed to do everything in their power to stop him from spending time with Pinkie Pie, thereby losing her trust. As long as she was still their friend, Discord would be in terrible danger. “The elements are easy enough to find,” he said. “Don’t worry about your friends. Now, you need to cheer up! You’ve been much too serious today, and now you need to be yourself. Shall we?” he gestured to the door, and the two friends returned to the royal garden, where Pinkie was delighted to find that chocolate bunnies were hopping around, laying Cadbury eggs. Then she noticed that all the palace gardeners were chasing the bunnies, frantically collecting the eggs and begging the creatures to stand still. “Discord,” she said sternly, “This is the second time you’ve broken your promise. Why haven’t you given up your tricks yet? Don’t you want Celestia to trust you?” Now Discord was annoyed. Not only was Pinkie Pie still friends with the rest of Celestia’s minions, but she expected him to behave. This wasn’t at all what Discord had planned. He wasn’t satisfied with being freed from his cold prison. He wanted to rule again, and Pinkie Pie was ruining everything! There was no point in tricking Pinkie Pie if Discord wasn’t free to have fun, so he would have tell her plainly that he had no intention of obeying Celestia. “Come on Pinkie Pie,” he said, “you know how boring Celestia is. If she doesn’t trust us, it’s her business. We don’t have to be boring just because she doesn’t have a sense of humor.” Pinkie Pie stared at her hooves. She began to shake. These tricks weren’t funny anymore, and Discord was turning out to be a little nastier than she had expected. Perhaps her friends were right. Perhaps she couldn’t trust him. “Maybe not,” she said. “But we do have to obey her because she’s the princess.” Discord was silent. “I suppose that your loyalty was just a mask after all. And that from the beginning you were dishonest with me. Were you really being generous by giving me a giant cake, or were you using me? And I’ve seen how unkind you can be to my friends and Princess Celestia. What about your tricks? Are they really supposed to make us laugh when all they do is cause trouble? Dashie was right; you’re not a true friend. Thanks for the chocolate, but I have to get back to my real friends. And I don’t think I’ll play with you again.” Discord laughed, and rogue lightning flashed behind him. “Very well,” he said with a grin, “but if you’re going to be on their team, then be warned: if you go into the labyrinth with your friends, you just might come out with no friends at all!” Then, he vanished in a flash of white light. Pinkie stood quietly for a moment before galloping off toward the palace labyrinth. When she arrived, she found her friends waiting for her on the path to the maze. They hugged and cried a little, and then the friends hurried to the maze’s entrance. They stood all in a row, and each pony stepped resolutely into the labyrinth, ready for whatever adventures lay ahead.
