“I have the Elements!” Celestia shouted as she teleported into the room with a large chest, startling Spike in the process. All of them immediately gathered around as she opened the chest and revealed the shining gems—their last chance.
“The Elements of Harmony,” Celestia said reverently. Fluttershy was right next to her, peering into the box. She desperately hoped that doing this would stop Accord and bring back her friend. “I still remember when my sister and I first found them…I hope the Element of Magic will respond to me, after being in Twilight's care for so long.”
“I wouldn't worry if I were you, Princess,” a familiar voice said in a less-familiar, formal tone. Fluttershy whipped around in horror, her face growing pale.
“Accord!?” they all shouted in a mixture of shock, anger, and fear.
“Indeed,” the gentleman draconequus said, strolling easily out of thin air with green magic shimmering behind him. He glanced around, cane in one hand, and took a moment to adjust his bowler hat.
“It took me some time to work out the magic of teleportation like Discord did,” he said casually, as though he wasn't taking over Discord's body and mind-controlling as many ponies as he could. “But once I did, I decided to drop in on my favorite little village!”
“You're not getting away with this, Accord!” Applejack shouted. She and Rarity were defiantly blocking the chest of the Elements.
“Get away with what?” he said. “Uniting all of Equestria? Making this kingdom as orderly as it can be? I'm afraid I already have.”
He turned towards them. “The only possible stumbling block is the Elements of Harmony, and I doubt they will be so effective without the Princess of Friendship.” He reached up and used his cane to tip his bowler hat down, casting most of his face into shadow. All Fluttershy could see was his gleaming monocle. “If you wish to try them, I invite the attempt.”
“We won't keep you waiting, Accord,” Celestia said, glaring at the draconequus and lifting the Elements out of the chest with her magic. She levitated all of the Elements to their respective owners, which latched onto their chests automatically, placing the Element of Magic in her own peytral.
The gems were already glowing. Fluttershy closed her eyes and grit her teeth, focusing on how much she wanted her friend Discord back. She could feel the magic burst out from her Element…and a moment later, her ear twitched when she heard something like a magical shield form around her.
Once the blinding magic light of the Elements faded, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes. She caught the barest glimpse of one of Starlight's shields dissipating around her, and saw that the room was full of green smoke. A draconequus silhouette wasn't far away…and dread filled her stomach when she realized that they had a cane.
Accord waved his cane, banishing some of the smoke. “As I said,” he announced, flicking flecks of dust off the sleeve of his suit.
Five faint thuds came from Fluttershy's sides. She looked down and saw The Elements fall off of her friends' chests and onto the floor…and that all their smiles were impossibly wide, their eyes eerily blank. “No…!”
“Yes,” Accord said, leaning on his cane. “The magic of the Elements is all about restoring order, you see. And I am the most orderly of all.”
Hoofsteps approached, and she turned to see more Accord-controlled ponies trotting into the castle. “In fact, I've used the magic of the Elements to spread my influence,” he explained. “You may be the only uncontrolled pony left in Equestria, Fluttershy.”
“B-But how? Why?” she asked.
“It seems Miss Glimmer put a shield around your mind to protect you,” Accord said, leaning forward and inspecting her. “Funny that she saved you and not herself with that second of foresight she had.”
He stood back up. “No matter. This situation will not last…and you won't have to be worried about being the only pony left.” He smirked, fingers slowly coming together in a snapping position.
Her heart thumped in her chest. There had to be a reason Starlight had saved her and not herself! “W-What about a game?” she blurted out.
Accord’s fingers froze before they could snap. “A game, you say?”
She gulped and nodded. “D-Discord would play games, even with his enemies.” They weren't very nice games, but she didn't say that aloud. “Even when he was sure he would win, he would give them a fair chance.” Until he decided to cheat, but that was also something she left unsaid.
Accord regarded her with a quiet and critical eye. “Alright,” he said. “What game do you propose, exactly?”
She took a deep breath. “If…you can convince that order is better than disorder…that you're better than Discord…I'll join you,” she proposed. “But if I can convince you that disorder is better, you'll leave and let Discord come back.” She shakily held a forehoof out to him.
Accord grinned, his snaggletooth gleaming. “A capital suggestion,” he said, reaching down to shake her hoof. “I accept your terms.”
“I'll win, of course,” he declared. “I've already won over your friends with order. That makes them my friends, doesn't it?” He tilted up Rainbow’s chin. The creepy smile was still frozen on her face.
“Does it?” she asked. “They didn't choose order. You made them orderly.”
“And now they don't need to choose!” he said. “They all think like me, act like me…the perfect friends. Order is friendship, and friendship is order.”
She could feel her blood boil. “You're wrong,” she said. Accord flinched, taken by surprise. “Friendship isn't about order. It doesn't depend on being the same. The creature who’s my best friend in the world…why, when we were first friends, we seemed to be complete opposites of each other!” She smiled fondly. “We're still so different from each other, and it's wonderful.”
“You're talking about Discord the trickster, I presume,” he said dryly. “He might have had one friend in you. I have many. Can you prove that he had, or wanted, more friends besides you?”
“Of course Discord wants more friends besides me!” she snapped. “He's faked being sick and made Twilight jealous just to get her attention! They might not get along perfectly, but they're friends who like to tease each other, call each other out.”
She looked at Applebloom. “He was made an honorary Crusader, and he's gone on adventures with them…even taken them through time! You can't deny that they're good friends.”
“He even befriended Princess Luna after she helped him with his nightmares, and they play cards and games together at least one night a month!”
Accord sniffed. “Fine. So he had a handful of friends. But I have more!” He gestured at all the ponies around him. “And thanks to order, we'll never argue, and our friendships won't break apart for trivial reasons. What has disorder ever done besides cause ponies to fight?”
Fluttershy snorted. “Friends can fight sometimes, but when they work through it, their bond is stronger than ever,” she said. “Disorder and different perspectives can introduce us to amazing ideas and ways of thinking. Order hasn't made anyone your friend…it's just made them into puppets!”
Accord reared back, shocked. “No! No, they are my friends!” He turned to the group behind him. “Don't you agree?”
“Don't you agree?” they all echoed back in unison. Fluttershy shivered.
“Fine!” Accord shouted. He was scowling, and his eyelid was twitching. “Maybe I don't have friends, but I don't need them!”
“We all need friends,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Even Discord came to realize that.”
“But I can at least be content that I've done something he never could!” he declared. He gestured outside, where dozens more ponies stood as still as statues, each with a creepy grin on their face. “I've created a world of perfect harmony! You can't deny that.”
“Well…” Fluttershy had to think for a moment, while Accord just hummed and polished the top of his cane. “Order and harmony…aren't the same, are they?”
Accord turned to look at her. “Harmony is…is about different people, all working together to create something beautiful,” she continued. “It's not about all being the same! You can't play the same note and call it a song—we need different notes, each unique in its own way, to make something better.”
She closed her eyes. “If you think about it like that…Discord was actually rather harmonious. He was different from everyone, but he worked with others, made friends who accepted him for exactly who he was, and…” She placed a hoof against her chest and smiled. “Made something beautiful with all of them.”
She turned to Accord with a slight glare. Getting angry wouldn't help her, but he had stolen away and tried to replace her best friend. The draconequus just stood there quietly, face shrouded in shadow…and then, he raised his hands and slowly clapped.
“Oh, well done, Fluttershy,” he said. “That was a beautiful and unpredictable speech.” He lifted his head, and his eyes gleamed. “I think I see why Discord likes you so much.”
He sighed, looking at all the ponies around them. “They really aren't my friends, are they?” he said. “Just me, me, and me…so many Accords, and not one friend.” He chuckled. “And somehow, one trickster had many friends. Ones who would stand by his side even when he was gone and they were alone.”
“Very well played, Fluttershy,” he said, tipping his hat to her. “If a friend like you stays around…well. Perhaps Discord could be a more harmonious being than I.”
“Does…does that mean…?” She looked at him hopefully.
“You win,” he said with a nod. He removed his hat. “You'll have your Discord back, just as you've wanted from the start.” She blushed slightly—it was true she hadn't been subtle about her not liking his change as much as the others.
“Farewell, Miss Fluttershy,” Accord said, bowing to her. “I believe—I hope—that this is the last you'll see of Accord.”
With that, he snapped his fingers and was enveloped in a cloud of orange smoke. Fluttershy bit her lip, waiting anxiously for what would happen.
“Ya-hoooo!” Discord shouted, rising up from the smoke. With a snap of his fingers, fireworks went off behind him, Twilight and Luna appeared in a cardboard box in one hand, and he held a pizza box under the other. “Oh my, is it ever wonderful to be back!”
All around them, ponies finally started to blink and move, groaning and rubbing at their eyes and cheeks as they looked around in confusion. “And it's good to have you back, Discord,” Celestia said. “I'm glad you saw the virtue of being your old, chaotic self.”
“I never thought I'd hear you say that, Princess,” Discord said, grinning and stretching his ear out towards her. Several of their friends came up, warmly welcoming him back and apologizing for their behavior.
Applejack was one of the last to speak. “I just wanted to say—well, sorry for making you feel unwelcome, Discord,” she said. “You may be a plumb crazy critter, but dang if that ain't what we love about you!” Discord's smile widened, and his eyes shone with warmth.
Fluttershy was the very last to approach. Their eyes locked for a second. She could sense how grateful he was, and she hoped he could sense how thankful she was to have him back. She quickly darted forward and wrapped her forelegs around him.
“Don't you ever change, Discord,” she said, squeezing him in a hug so tight he gasped for air.
“I promise I won't, Flutters,” he assured, patting her mane. “I mean, I only get to be at the very end of a oneshot about the two of us? I really need to negotiate my contracts better.”
Normally, Fluttershy would have tilted her head or given him an odd look, but she was too delighted that her best friend in the world was back to normal. “It's good to have you back,” she said, her hug loosening only slightly as she nestled into his fur.
“Good to be back,” he said, cradling her in his arms and brushing his fingers through her mane. She smiled as he flapped his wings, carrying them both to the celebration Pinkie was quickly whipping up for everyone in Ponyville to enjoy.