Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakensby BoeingtheDraconequusChaptersFriendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: PrologueFriendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 1Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 2Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 3Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 4Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 5Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: PrologueA wagon got pulled through the hot and arid climate of the desert of Equestria as two earth pony stallions pulled it with their strength. The hot sun beating down on them as sweat dripped down their foreheads, their mouths craved for the water that they long since needed ever since entering these hot and uncomfortable conditions. As they approached the city of Saddle Arabia, they were greeted by a gray elderly unicorn mare with a white mane and tail wearing a brown cloak over herself as she smiled at the approaching stallions. “Greetings, gentlecolts,” she said to them. “I trust that your journey wasn’t too exhausting.” “Not more than usual,” the first stallion replied as he wiped sweat from his forehead. “But we sure need some water.” “Then follow me to my shop and I’ll give you both your water as well as your payment.” The elderly mare turned and led them through the streets towards a small two-storey building with desert gray bricks and a brown door. She stepped inside and allowed them to enter as one of the stallions carried a wooden crate inside and placed it down on the floor next to the check out desk. “Thank you, boys.” The elderly mare smiled at them as she levitated two jugs of water over to them as well as two bags of 20 bits. “Your delivery is greatly appreciated.” “You’re welcome ma’am.” said the second stallion as he drank his water. “What is it that my friend and I had to deliver? We weren’t told what it was, only that it was very dangerous and it was top secret.” The gray unicorn went over to the crate as she opened the lid and lifted out a glass container that had a medallion. It was gray in color and had a pitch black gem in the center that seemed to radiate what the night sky would look like without the moon and stars. “This medallion is extremely dangerous,” she explained. “All I can tell you is that it can corrupt the soul of the one who uses it and bring upon eternal darkness. The fewer that know of this, the safer Equestria is. That is why you both delivered it here.” “So that it can be stored away so nopony can take it and use it for their own selfish reasons,” concluded the first stallion. “Correct.” the unicorn mare nodded as the stallions shared a look. “And I thank you both for bringing it here once again. You both are doing Equestria a huge favor.” “Again, it’s no trouble, miss,” the second stallion smiled. “Well, we’d better get going.” “Wait.” The elderly mare held up a hoof as she levitated four more water jugs over to them. “Take these, for your journey home.” “Really? Thanks,” the first stallion said as he opened the door and pulled the wagon towards it, allowing himself and his comrade to load their wagon with the extra water and payment. “Have a safe trip home,” the elderly mare called out to the stallions as they went down the streets and eventually out of Saddle Arabia. Once they were gone, she went back inside her shop and closed the door. “Right, now to put you away with the rest of my treasures.” she said to the medallion as she lit up her horn and entered a small closet that consisted of lots of other necklaces and amulets. She placed it down on an empty spot on one of the 5 shelves available. “There you go, safe and sound.” The elderly mare said as she patted the glass protector before turning and exiting the closet, closing and locking the door. Unbeknownst to her, a pitch black shadow with red eyes and a curvy unicorn horn materialized into the darkness of the small room. It spotted the medallion that was delivered not too long ago and smiled darkly at it as the shadow lit up its horn, enveloping the magical artifact in a purple and green aura and pulling it through the glass. “At long last,” the shadow whispered in a dark and sinister tone. “After all these years, it’s finally mine.” It then lit up its horn and made an exact replica materialize in the spot where the real medallion once was before disappearing in a black poof of smoke soundlessly, letting out a low and evil chuckle. Author's Note I know this isn’t much, but I'm new at the MLP fanfiction writing and I figured you would want a small clue as to what you’re about to see. before moving on, I would love to ask you readers some questions: 1: Which episode of MLP was it where Spike tried to prevent Thorax and Ember from meeting each other and what season is it in? 2: Which episode of MLP was it where Pinkie had to set out across Equestria to please the Yaks when they visited Ponyville and got mad when they got what they didn't like? 3: Which Equestria Girls special was it where we first see Twilight's own portal to the mirror world and which season of MLP: FiM does it take plane in? Now bore you ask, YES I have watched all of MLP, including all the Equestria Girls movies. I just have a bad memory and need to hear it from all of you. Helpful comments and respectful criticism is always welcome. 😀 Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 1Discord laid down in a hammock that floated in mid-air as he took a sip of some icy cold chocolate milk, causing him to shiver in response as his body got enveloped in ice for a moment before it melted away into thin air. Due to the heat wave that baked all of Equestria, the Lord of Chaos was out stretched in his garden at his castle in the Everfree Forest. The Castle of the Two Sisters was a gift to him from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in honor of helping Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Thorax save everyone from the Changelings, under condition that he contain his chaos magic within the castle grounds and not harmed anyone as well as keep an eye on the Tree of Harmony for any signs of trouble. Discord didn’t mind the old crumbly ruins of the former palace nor the requirements, mainly because he could add his own spin on it and make it a place of his own. When he moved in, he turned the castle back into what it looked like back when Celestia and Luna used to live in it on the outside, but the inside was a completely different story. The castle walls on the inside had different colors and art styles, changing to other colors and arrays of creativeness automatically whenever Discord felt like redecorating, which was every few minutes or hours. The floors were bouncy like the floor on a trampoline and could easily be bounced on by simply bouncing on it, and the gravity was only half as much inside compared to outside. Discord took another sip of his ice chocolate milk as he let out a content sigh. He summoned a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as well as a Hawaiian shirt and a large umbrella for shade and an electric fan as it blew the air around him directly at him. “Much better.” he sighed with a satisfied smile as he closed his eyes and took another sip of his drink. The sound of papery flapping could be heard as he turned to see his calendar flying towards him, clearly in an urgent state as it flapped around him frantically. “Oh what do you want?” Discord asked with a displeased tone. “I thought I made it clear to never disturb me unless it’s an emergency.” The calendar flipped its pages towards the current month of the year as Discord eyed it for a moment until it circled a certain day of the week that caused him to widen his eyes. Tuesday. Today was his weekly Tuesday Tea with Fluttershy and he nearly forgot about it. He slapped himself in the face. “I knew I was forgetting something.” Discord muttered as he made all his things and shirt disappear. “I suppose I should thank you for the interruption, but don’t ever disturb me like that again unless it’s a real emergency. Got it?” His calendar gave a swift nod as it flew back inside the castle. The Draconequus then teleported inside of the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage, which was surprisingly hot despite all the windows being open, as he looked to see that the yellow Pegasus was nowhere in sight. Angel glared at him from the couch, but Discord ignored him. ‘Strange,’ he thought. ‘Perhaps she’s a little late preparing the tea.’ Discord teleported into the kitchen, only to find it completely clean and devoid of any action. “Fluttershy?” he called as he stepped out of the kitchen and re-entered the living room, only to receive no response. “Perhaps she’s in her animal sanctuary and forgot about your little get together as well.” He turned to see an exact copy of himself wearing a pair of glasses lounging on the couch with a book in his hands. He tossed the book aside as it disappeared before he sat up. “I mean, why else would Fluttershy not be in here at the moment? Aside from the fact that she’s probably outside trying to roast herself.” “I was just about to think that, thank you.” the original Discord said as he snapped his fingers and summoned a portal underneath his copy as it sucked him in it before disappearing in a flash of light. The Draconequus then teleported into Sweet Feather Sanctuary and spotted Fluttershy sitting over by the trees giving some squirrels small bottles of water as he teleported behind her. “Hi, Fluttershy!” he said in a merry tone. She let out a surprised scream and jumped to her hoofs as the squirrels ran back up into the trees. Turning around, she saw her chaotic friend standing behind her with a smile on his face. “Oh, Discord. You startled me.” “Sorry for the surprise, my dear, I couldn’t resist.” Discord chuckled. “But Today’s our weekly get together. Is there a reason you’re out here and not inside preparing tea?” “Sorry Discord, but due to today's heat wave, some of the animals here in the sanctuary are getting really hot and need lots of water.” Fluttershy replied. “Maybe we can have our tea party tomorrow.” “We could, or I can take care of your chores for you.” Discord raised his eagle claw and poised his talons in a snapping position. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine on my own.” “Are you sure? You look like you’re melting.” He wasn’t kidding. Beads of sweat slowly dripped down Fluttershy’s forehead and her face was flushed slightly from the heat. “Oh, Don’t worry about me. I’m almost done with my tasks for the morning.” she said as she wiped her forehead with her foreleg. “I’m fine. Really, I am.” The Draconequus folded his arms and eyed her with suspicion for a moment before shrugging. “If you insist on doing this by yourself, then I won’t stop you. But I can still be by your side and chat, right?” “Of course you can.” Fluttershy flew up and wrapped her forelegs around his chest. “It’s still good to see you.” “Same here, my dear.” Discord wrapped his arms around her body for a moment before they broke the embrace. “So what’s been going on since we last saw each other?” Fluttershy asked as she made her way towards the supplies shed. “Oh, do I have a story for you!” Discord replied cheerfully as he floated alongside her. “A few days ago, I was lounging on my thinking tree when I suddenly got an idea about pranking Celestia. I went into the Canterlot Castle dining room when it was time for her lunch disguised as a cake as she noticed me from her seat and levitated me onto a plate and next to her hayburger. Contrary to common belief, Celestia secretly loves cake and is an absolute sucker for it.” a snicker escaped him as he fought against the upcoming storm of laughter building up within him. “When she cut out a slice to sample on and was about to eat some of it, I made my face appear on it and pretended to scream in agony as if she actually hurt me!” No longer taking it anymore, the Lord of Chaos bursted into laughter. “Oh, Celestia should’ve seen the look on her face, purely priceless! She was frozen in shock and horror as I turned back into my normal self and laughed at her before disappearing, leaving another cake for her!” Discord let gravity push him back onto the ground as he rolled around and guffawed hysterically. Fluttershy turned around and looked at him with a frown. “I don’t think it was nice to make fun of the princess like that.” “Oh come on, Fluttershy, it was hilarious.” Discord said once his laughter stopped and teleported to her side. “If you were there, you’d find it to be a little disturbing at first, but amusing once I reveal myself.” “I still think that was a little mean. You should apologize to Celestia for that.” “I left her an apology note after I left, and I’m more than sure she’s already let that slide.“ “Well, if you say so.” Fluttershy allowed a small smile to form on her lips. “Anything else happen besides pranks?” “Not much,” Discord replied. “But what about you? Did you do anything exciting?” “I let a female bobcat and her mate move into the sanctuary. They’re over in one of the caves and won’t harm any of the other animals.” “That’s nice to hear.” As Fluttershy continued her chores around the animal sanctuary, Discord floated alongside her and occasionally engaged her in a few friendly conversations while using his magic to get a few good giggles out of her. However, as the day went on and the temperature got hotter, she became more flushed and sweaty, even feeling light headed and dizzy a few times. It was then when she finished giving her bear friend, Harry, a couple of sardines for lunch that she felt another dizzy spell, which didn’t go unnoticed. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?” Discord asked as he looked at her with concern, something he only did to his one and only friend. “You’re sweating a lot and you’re getting dizzy.” “Oh. N-no, Discord, I’m fine.” the yellow Pegasus shook her head as she took a sip of water from her water bottle. “I’m almost done with my chores and then I can have my lunch break.” “Are you sure you can’t take a break in the shade for a minute? I’m not a doctor, but even I know that being out in this kind of heat is harmful.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” Fluttershy gave him a reassuring smile as she carried a basket of carrots over to the rabbits. As she did so, her mind vision began to blur and began to feel dizzy. ‘You can do this, Fluttershy. You’re almost there.’ she said in her mind as her hoofsteps began to slow down and subtle a little bit. “Fluttershy, I’m not joking. Go over to the shade for a few minutes and drink some water.” Discord said in a serious tone as he made a plastic bottle of water materialize and float in front of her. “No, I still have lots of work to do.” Fluttershy shook her head firmly as the bottle disappeared and continued onward, only to experience yet another dizzy spell, this once the strongest out of all the previous ones all morning. “Oh dear.” She stumbled from side to side as her vision became too blurry to see out of and her head too woozy to concentrate, causing her to faint and drop her basket. “Fluttershy!” Discord exclaimed as he scooped her up into his arms and placed his lion paw on her forehead, noticing that not only was it really sweaty, but hotter than normal. “That’s it, young lady, you're going somewhere cool to get some much needed water and relaxation and I’m not taking no for an answer!” Not wasting another second, the Draconequus turned his tail tuft into a hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing with the unconscious Pegasus in a flash of light. He reappeared inside the cottage and used his magic to close the windows and lower the temperature to a more cooling and comfortable state as he laid Fluttershy down on the couch and materialized an ice pack on her forehead. ‘Maybe Fluttershy wouldn’t mind if I took care of all her tasks for the day.’ Discord thought as he snapped his fingers. ‘There, all done.’ he materialized a cold chocolate milkshake with a cherry on top on the table as he teleported into the armchair next to the couch and waited patiently. Only time would tell until Fluttershy would wake up Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait for long as the yellow Pegasus began to regain consciousness and let out a moan as she slowly opened her eyes. “Oh my…what happened?” she murmured as she looked up to see an ice pack on her head. “You fainted when you were going over to those bunnies with some carrots.” Discord said as she sat up and looked at him. “Don’t worry about that, my dear. I took care of it for you.” “You did?” “I most certainly did, and I even took care of all your other tasks for the day.” “Really? You did that all for me?” Fluttershy looked at him with an astonished look. “You didn’t have to do that though. I could’ve done it myself.” “True, but you were overheating. Speaking of which, why did you continue your work if you knew you were getting dizzy and not taking a break for some water?” Discord asked. “I couldn’t just let my poor animals suffer in the heat for much longer. If I took a break, they would’ve gotten even hotter and suffered sun stroke.” “Then why didn’t you drink any water? I mean, when was the last time you ever thought about yourself for a moment?” “I don’t really do that very often. I sometimes think that if I think about myself too much, I’ll become too selfish and nopony will like me.” “But if you don’t think about yourself normally, you’ll end up being so caught up in being selfless that you’ll end up forgetting and ignoring what you want and need. I mean, look at myself.” Discord placed his lion paw on his chest. “I think about myself all the time, but I also think about you, my dear. I even made you a milkshake to help you cool down.” He pointed to the said drink on the table as she looked down at it. “You made that for me?” Fluttershy asked. “Why of course.” Discord replied. “Go on and take a sip.” She picked up the milkshake and brought the straw to her mouth as she took a sip, widening her eyes and humming in delight. “This is delicious!” she proudly proclaimed as she continued to drink it. “There, you see? I may think about myself most times, but I also think about you.” Discord smiled at her as she continued drinking. “You’re right, and it was really thoughtful of you to do this for me.” Fluttershy smiled warmly at him as she finished her milkshake, only to let out a small burp and cover her mouth with her hoof. “Oh, excuse me.” “You’re excused, my dear. Now then, would now be a good time to have our tea party? You are free from all your chores for the day, thanks to yours truly.” The yellow Pegasus let out a small giggle. “Why not? You were really helpful after all.” “Splendid!” Discord smiled as he clapped his hands twice, causing a tea set materialized on the table. “I managed to perfect my cucumber sandwiches a few days ago, so go my dear. Try them.” A tray of cucumber sandwiches materialized and hovered in front of them as Fluttershy took one into her hoof and put it in her mouth, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing it. “Oh my, it tastes so much better than your last batch.” she smiled. “Why thank you.” Discord smiled proudly as he placed his eagle claw on his chest in pride. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her former pupil Starlight Glimmer were sitting in the library at the Castle of Friendship reading books together. Due to the hot weather outside, the entire building was casted in a cooling spell to prevent the heat from getting inside and kept it nice and cool inside. The doors opened as they both looked to see Spike entering. “Hey Twilight. Can I go over to Rarity’s and hang out with her?” he asked. “Of course, Spike.” Twilight replied with a smile. Her baby dragon was officially no longer a ‘baby’ anymore. He went through a growth spurt a month ago and was now a few inches underneath her height and was more slender with muscles showing on his arms, stomach, and legs. His spikes were slightly larger and sharper and his tail was slightly longer. “Great! See you later. You too, Starlight.” the purple pre-teenaged dragon waved to the both of them as he turned and left the library, closing the doors behind him. “Still trying to get used to the new Spike?” Starlight asked her former teacher. “Yeah,” Twilight replied with a sigh. “I can’t believe my little Spike is growing up so quickly. It wasn’t that long ago he was able to ride on my back.” “Well, soon he’ll become an adult and find his special somepony, or somedragon and move out of the castle.” “I know, but I’ll always see him as my baby.” This brought another smile on her lips as they both heard the sound of something powering up. Twilight and Starlight stood up and turned over to the portal to the mirror world whirring up as the archway got encased in a magenta aura. Immediately afterwards, a yellow unicorn mare with a fiery red and yellow mane and tail stepped out with a pair of saddlebags on her back. “Sunset!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she stood up from her chair and rushed over, embracing her friend in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!” “It’s good to see you too, Twilight.” Sunset smiled at her before noticing another unicorn in the library. “Who’s that?” “Oh! I nearly forgot.” Twilight pulled away as Starlight went up to them. “Starlight, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is my former pupil Starlight Glimmer.” “It’s nice to meet you, Starlight.” Sunset held out her hoof with a friendly smile. “Same here.” Starlight smiled back as they shook hooves. “So how did you get here through that portal just now?” “Oh, I live in an alternate world with creatures called humans and actually have friends there. It’s a little complicated to explain but they’re just like the ponies here in Equestria only there’s no magic but a lot of technology and machines.” “Wow, I may have to visit your world one of these days. So what brings you here?” “It’s the first day of summer vacation at my high school and I want to spend the first week here in Equestria.” “Really? That’s wonderful!” Twilight said. “Feel free to spend time here in the castle for as long as you want.” “Thanks, Twilight.” Sunset smiled at her as they shared another hug. “Would you like a tour of Ponyville?” “Sure. It’s been so long since I was last here in Equestria, and I want to see what’s changed.” “That’s good to hear.” Twilight smiled. “Just be advised that we’re suffering a heat wave.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” Sunset nodded as she turned to the light purple unicorn. “Do you want to come with us, Starlight?” “I don’t see why not.” she replied. “I need a break from all this reading anyway.” All three of them exited the library as Sunset Shimmer stopped and turned around, noticing a familiar yet not familiar face. Twilight noticed that she wasn’t coming and turned around, teleporting next to her friend. “Sunset, this is my guard Flash Sentry. Flash, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. She’s staying here in the castle for a week.” The Princess of Friendship said as the yellow unicorn eyed him for a second before reaching out with her hoof and shaking his. “It’s nice to meet you.” Sunset said as she forced a smile on her lips despite feeling slightly awkward. “It’s nice to meet you too, and welcome to Ponyville.” Flash smiled at her as they shook hoofs before she turned around with Twilight and caught back up with Starlight as they exited the castle and stepped out into the hot humid heat. Spike happily marched through the smoldering heat of Ponyville as he went towards Carousel Boutique with a proud smile on his face. He wasn’t only heading over to the home of the bearer of the element of generosity just to hang out with her, but in hopes to impress her. The purple dragon had a crush on her ever since he and Twilight first moved into town and would always go out of his way to make her happy by doing all sorts of tasks for her and helping with her dresses, but she seemed to not catch on to his feelings like he would’ve hoped, not to mention Rarity would always be chasing after handsome stallions like Prince Blueblood and Trenderhoof. Spike didn’t give up though. He would continuously try again to impress her and earn her affections, and become her special somepony, or rather special somedragon, in the process. Whether Rarity felt the same way or not, he would always continue to be a good friend and support her fashion business. He went up to the front door to her home and knocked on it as he waited patiently, only to receive no response as his smile fell. “Rarity?” he called as he knocked again. “Are you in there?” The door opened to reveal Sweetie Belle as she looked up at him. “Hey Spike.” she said. “Rarity’s up in her room if you’re looking for her, but she’s not happy at the moment.” “Really? Why?” Spike asked. “I don’t know. I tried talking to her but she won’t let me in her room.” Spike frowned in concern. What could Rarity be so upset about that she wouldn’t let anyone, including her younger sister, talk about. “I should go and talk to her,” he said. “I agree.” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement as she opened the door further and allowed him to enter. Once he stepped inside, he looked around with slightly widened eyes. All over the floor were incomplete and tattered dresses as well as several crumpled sketchbook papers of dress designs. Clothing racks of previously designed dresses stood at various locations around the area and all the curtains on all the windows were pulled closed. “Wow.” Spike managed to say. It wasn’t the first time he’d been to Carousel Boutique in this kind of condition, minus the crumpled pieces of paper on the floor. “Is Rarity facing some kind of a designer's block?” “No doubt about it,” Sweetie replied. “I even heard her mumbling to herself how she couldn’t come up with any designs for the summer.” Spike frowned in concern. “I should go and talk to her.” He followed the unicorn filly up the stairs, being careful to not step on any of the incomplete dresses as they reached the 2nd floor of the building and went over to the door to Rarity’s room. “Rarity?” Sweetie Belle knocked on the bedroom door. “Spike’s here to see you.” A moment of silence passed as they both waited patiently. “Come in.” a voice came from the other side as the purple dragon twisted the doorknob and entered. The entire bedroom was exactly like the rest of the house, only much more messy with even more crumpled sketchbook papers on the floor as well as incomplete dresses. Spike looked over at the work table and spotted Rarity sitting at it on her stool, wearing her robe and facing away from him. “Rarity?” he called over to her as he cautiously approached her. “Are you okay?” She didn’t voice a reply, but rather nodded her head. “Are you sure? Your home is a mess and the windows are closed. Is there something wrong?” Rarity shook her head as the purple dragon came up to her side and looked at her in concern. He noticed a tear streaming down her cheek and tried to get a better look, only for her to turn her head away from him. That really concerned him. She would never turn away from him like that and not say anything in reply. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and that touch finally seemed to get to her. Rarity began sobbing as she spun around and wrapped her forelegs around his body as she buried her face into his chest, surprising him in the process. “Oh Spike, it’s positively terrible!” she sniffed. “I can’t come up with any dress designs.” It took a moment for him to snap out of his trance as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. “Why not?” “There hasn’t been anything inspiring for weeks! I feel like I’ve lost my creative spark and I don’t know what to do.” Spike continued to hold her as he awkwardly rubbed her back with his hand. “Um…there there.” he said hesitantly. He wasn’t really an expert on this sort of thing compared to others who were or probably had foals, but he couldn't let her wallow in her own misery. It took a few more minutes of sobbing for the white unicorn to finally let it all out as she finally calmed down and pulled away, giving him a small smile. “Thank you for the comfort, Spike, but I’m still in a pickle. Do you happen to have any ideas?” she asked him hopefully. “Well, not off the top of my head.” Spike replied as he saw her frown in disappointment. “But maybe you could make some summer dresses,” he quickly added. “I thought about that already, but they don’t seem to speak to the fashion world.” Rarity said with a sigh as she used her magic to levitate a tissue over and blew into it before placing it in the already overflowing trash can. “Not unless I create something I never thought of before. The purple dragon thought for a moment before perking up with an idea. “Wait a minute. What if you tried to combine your sense of fashion into a typical summer dress?” “You mean make a dress that’s part casual and part formal?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why not? And maybe you can design a nice summer hat to go with it.” Rarity put a hoof to her chin in thought before gasping. “Why Spike, that is an amazing idea!” she smiled as she levitated her sketchbook and quill over before flipping to an empty page and sketching down her idea in it. Once she finished, she tore out the paper and levitated it to him. “How does this look?” she asked as he took it in his hands and looked at it. The dress Rarity drew had a long and flowy gown with small flowers on it in a pattern and a pair of smooth slippers and a nice summer hat with a large flower on the side. “I think that’s a great design.” Spike smiled. “You’re right.” Rarity muttered as she looked at her drawing. “You’re right!” She immediately placed the paper back on the table as she levitated several rolls of fabric out from the shelves as well as a few more stitching machines from the closet as she swiftly went to work, creating a series of dresses in no time at all before hanging them on an empty dress rack. “Wow. That was fast.” Spike said with amazement. “It certainly was.” Rarity flipped her mane before smiling sweetly. “And I have you to thank for those fabulous ideas.” “Aww, it was nothing.” a blush coated his cheeks as he scratched his head bashfully. “Would it be okay if we had some ice cream together?” “It most certainly is.” the white unicorn replied as she stood up and took off her robe before she and Spike exited the room and went downstairs. “Whew! It’s super hot out here.” Sunset wiped her forehead as they entered Ponyville. “But Ponyville sure is nice and peaceful around here.” “It sure is, but we do sometimes get threatened by powerful villains.” Twilight said. “Really? How often does that happen?” “Thankfully not too often, but a little over a month ago, me and all my friends got ponynapped by the Changelings when they tried to exact their revenge on us.” “What’s a changeling?” Sunset asked. “They were cruel and ruthless creatures that could transform into the ones you love and feed off of your love for them.” Starlight answered as she explained when she, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord teamed up to save everyone and overthrow Queen Chrysalis. “Wow. that must’ve been quite the adventure.” the yellow unicorn said. “And you say that Discord helped you? As in the spirit of chaos and disharmony? I thought Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned him into a stone statue a thousand years ago?” “He was, but he broke free when the princesses were no longer connected to the elements of harmony.” Twilight said as she explained the day when Discord escaped his stone prison and unleashed his chaos before explaining when Celestia tasked the bearer of the element of kindness to reform the mischievous spirit of chaos. “It wasn’t easy, but she successfully reformed him and they’ve been close friends ever since.” “Wow. looks like I’ve missed out on a lot since I ran away from Canterlot.” “You did?” Starlight asked. “Why?” Sunset explained to her how she used to be one of Celestia’s old students and became cruel when she didn’t get what she wanted and ran away to the mirror world as a result. “I regret the day I went mad and nearly invaded Equestria with an army of teenagers, but I had Twilight and my friends back home to show me the light.” “I also had a pretty rough past.” the light purple unicorn said as she explained when she took the cutie marks of the ponies in her old village and got defeated by Twilight and her friends and attempted to go back in time to exact her revenge, only to get convinced of the error of her ways and gain not only a home in the Castle of Friendship but friends. “Looks like we have something in common.” Sunset said. “We do.” Starlight nodded in agreement as she held out her hoof. “Friends?” “Friends.” they both shook hooves together as Twilight watched it all with a proud smile. Her former student has come a long way since her reformation. As the three of them went near Sugarcube Corner, they spotted Pinkie Pie with an ice cream stand outside the building. “Hi Twilight! Hi Starlight!” she waved over at them. “Step right up and get fresh cold ice cream!” Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset all went over to the ice cream stand as the pink earth pony looked at the yellow unicorn and drew in a sharp but long gasp, instantly recognizing her from the night when she stole Twilight’s crown. “Are you new here?” “Um, kind of,” Sunset replied. “Why do you-” “One second!” Pinkie cut her off as she zipped inside Sugarcube Corner and came back out in an impressive speed wearing a barrage of different musical instruments. The mallet to the base drum began beating a steady beat as Pinkie cleared her throat. “🎵Welcome welcome welcome, A fine welcome to you. Welcome welcome welcome, We’re glad to see you too. We’re glad that you could come, To the town of Ponyville. Where you can have lots of fun or you can sit, relax, and chill. No matter what may come, No matter what the weather. We slow down or give up Because we have each other. Now to give my name, My name is Pinkie Pie! I love to throw lots of parties And spread joy so you don’t cry. Now to wrap this up, And to send you on your way. I welcome you to Ponyville With a hip hip hurray!🎵” Pinkie finished playing her instruments and singing her song as Sunset Shimmer looked at her with a look of amazement and bewilderment. “Wow.” she managed to say. “I know, right? I know it’s last minute, but I wrote that song all for you!” Pinkie grinned at her. “Did you like it? Huh, huh? Did you?” “Yes. It was very…creative.” Sunset replied. “I knew you’d like it! Here, have some ice cream!” The pink earth pony rushed back to her ice cream stand and pulled out a plastic bowl as she scooped some strawberry ice cream in it and put some sprinkles on it with a cherry on top before pulling out a plastic spoon and rushed back over. “Here you go!” “Thanks.” Sunset smiled at her as she scooped a sample of it on her spoon and took a bite, immediately feeling a cooling sensation from the sweet taste. “This is delicious.” “I knew you’d like it!” Pinkie grinned as she rushed back over to her ice cream stand and made two more ice cream bowls for Twilight and Starlight. “Free of charge!” “Really?” Twilight asked as she took the ice cream into her magical aura. “Yup! Mr and Mrs. Cake wants me to make free ice cream for anyone who shows up due to the heat wave.” “Tell them we said thanks.” Starlight said as she took her ice cream into her magical aura and took a bite. “And this ice cream really is delicious.” “Will do!” Pinkie smiled as she went back over to her ice cream stand. “Have a nice day, and stay cool!” “We will.” Twilight waved at her as she, Starlight, and Sunset continued on their way. “Let’s head back to the castle. It’s getting too hot out here.” “I agree.” Sunset nodded as the group went through town and back to the path to the castle. Once they stepped back inside, they immediately felt a rush of cold air blow over them as Twilight closed the doors. “Ahhh, this feels so much better.” Starlight sighed as they went towards the library. “Hey Sunset, can I take you up to your guest room so that you can get your things settled?” Twilight asked. “Sure thing.” Sunset replied as she followed the Princess of Friendship towards the stairs. “And I’ll go on and meet you in the library.” Starlight called up as she continued on her way towards the library. Twilight and Sunset Shimmer trotted through the sleeping quarters as they entered an empty guest bedroom. “Thanks again for letting me stay here.” Sunset said as she smiled at her friend and levitated her saddlebags onto the dresser. “It feels so comfortable here.” “I’m glad you think so.” Twilight smiled back. “Are you gonna come down to the library and hang out with me and Starlight?” “I will, just let me unpack my things first.” “Alright, see you in a bit.” the purple alicorn turned and left the room as she closed the doors behind her and trotted back to the library. Suddenly, as she turned the corner to go down the stairs, she bumped into someone as she looked to see Flash Sentry standing in front of her. “Flash!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m so so sorry, I didn’t see you coming around the corner like that.” “It’s alright, your highness.” Flash smiled at her. “It was an honest mistake.” “Y-yeah, you’re right. What are you doing up here, anyway?” “Starlight told me that you were up here and I thought I’d come up and check on you.” “I appreciate it, but I’m fine. Thank you for checking up on me, though.” Twilight blushed a shade of red as she cleared her throat. “Right…so, I should head back to the library. Do you wanna come?” “Sure thing, your highness.” Flash bowed before following her back down the stairs. Awkward silence filled the air as Twilight glanced back at him slightly every so often, feeling flustered and awkward. She had no idea why she was still acting like a filly with a school-pony crush even though Flash had been in the castle for a few weeks. He was assigned to be her guard from her sister-in-law, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza AKA Cadence so that he could look after the castle and protect her in case she was in any danger. Twilight was quite surprised that day when Cadence visited her that day and gave the Pegasus guard to him, but was nonetheless happy to have some extra company in her large and still somewhat empty castle. Twilight was also glad to see him because she had recently developed small feelings for Flash and would sometimes hope to be his special somepony, but always shied away from the idea, mainly because a relationship between a commoner and a princess would feel like an obligation to him. Only time would tell if he would ever feel the same way. Once Twilight and Flash Sentry approached the doors to the library, he trotted ahead of her and opened the door for him as he bowed his head. “Flash, you don’t have to be so formal with me.” Twilight smiled at him. “But thank you for the gesture, anyway.” “You’re welcome, your highness, and enjoy your time.” Flash saluted at her as he stood at his position next to the doors. The purple alicorn looked at him for a moment before closing the doors and returning to her reading chair where Starlight was waiting for her in her own chair. Twilight noticed that she was giving her a knowing look. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Twilight asked as she levitated her book over to her and opened it to the page she paused at. “Flash certainly has your attention, doesn’t he?” the light purple unicorn asked in a knowing tone. “U-um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Admit it. You have a crush on him.” “No I don’t!” Twilight snapped as she immediately covered her mouth with a hoof, praying that he didn’t hear her as she cleared her throat. “Besides, we aren’t even friends yet, not to mention we don’t know each other that well.” “That doesn’t mean you can’t do all that, and maybe you’ll become a couple one day and get married and have foals.” “Starlight, I’m not even ready for all that yet.” “There’s nothing wrong with liking somepony and imagining a future together.” Starlight said as she flipped to the next page in her book. “Oh really?” Twilight sent her a knowing smirk of her own. “Then tell me, Starlight. Do you imagine a future with Sunburst?” “W-what? No, of course not!” a small blush coated Starlight cheeks as she looked up from her book and cleared her throat. “We’re just friends, and we never had crushes on each other growing up.” “Understood, but let me know when he confesses to you.” “Twilight!” Starlight snapped as her former mentor laughed. She felt a smile pull at her lips as she joined in on the laughter, realizing that the Princess of Friendship was only teasing her. Discord and Fluttershy shared a laugh as the teapot and tea cups did a tap dance on a miniature stage the Draconequus materialized in front of them on the floor. They then began doing silly dances as well as circus stunts as Fluttershy watched them with amazement as they finished their grand finale with the teapot lifting the cups on its arms. “Ta da!” they said in unison as small confetti cannons on the side of the stage fired small bits of confetti. “That was amazing.” Fluttershy said as she clapped her front hooves in applause. “Woo hoo.” Discord chuckled at her quiet cheer as he turned the teapot and tea cups back to normal and teleported them back on the table. He then took a tea cake into his eagle claw and swallowed it down as three mini copies of himself popped up on the table and ate one of the tea cakes each before sitting and patting their now bulging stomachs. “You really do make the best of tea cakes, my dear.” Discord smiled at her as she blushed in modesty. Suddenly, one of the mini Discord’s let a loud but high pitch burp could be heard as they both widened their eyes. The mini Discord blushed and looked to the ground with guilt as the original Discord looked at him disapprovingly. “What do you say?” “Excuse me.” the mini Discord said with a smile. “I really can’t take them anywhere.” Discord muttered as his mini copies popped out of existence one by one. Fluttershy let out a giggle. “Oh Discord, you’re so funny.” “I guess I am.” he smiled. “So. is there anything else going on for you this week?” “Me and my friends are going to have a picnic at our usual picnic spot tomorrow. Would you like to come?” “My dear, I would absolutely love to.” Discord replied. “And I’ll even bring my cucumber sandwiches.” “That’s great.” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m sure they’ll love them just as much as I do.” “And I’ll even try and make some cupcakes to go with them.” “Really?” Fluttershy asked. “Have you ever baked cupcakes before?” “Well…no.” Discord replied honestly. “I always used my magic to make all the food I need, but it wouldn’t hurt to try and bake some cupcakes.” “It’s up to you whether you want to bake or make them with your magic. I don’t mind what your decision is.” Fluttershy said. “Then I’ll bake cupcakes by hand.” the Draconequus proudly announced. “And trust me, Fluttershy. They’ll be the best ones you’ll ever eat.” “Okay.” After a few more hours of chatting together and laughing while drinking tea, the time for their time together had to come to an end as Discord stood up and stretched. “I hope you enjoyed our little time together, my dear.” he said. “I always do, and thank you for taking care of my tasks and cooling me down. It was so sweet of you.” Fluttershy smiled at him as she flew up into his arms and shared a hug with him. “See you tomorrow.” “See you tomorrow.” Discord smiled at her as he put her back on the ground and disappeared in a flash of light, causing the tea set to disappear in the process. Before the yellow Pegasus could move, he immediately teleported back in front of her. “I can’t wait!” he said before disappearing once again. She put her hoof to her mouth and giggled. “Oh Discord.” To be continued… Author's Note And with that, here’s the re-create chapter 1! For those of you who already read the previous version of this chapter, I decided to redo it because I felt like it was missing a few things. This is how I rigonally intended chapter 1 to be and I hope you liked it. The song I made Pinkie sing to Sunset Shimmer is a song I originally wrote (sorry if it's terribly written. I'm a bad rhymer. ) But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and I hope to see you again soon in chapter 2! Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 2Spike, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle all sat at the table in the kitchen of Carousel Boutique together as they each ate bowls of ice cream. Due to the new idea that the purple dragon gave the white unicorn, she was now back in high spirits and managed to make fifteen more dresses. “I cannot thank you enough for the idea you gave me, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity smiled at him. “You really are the kindest and sweetest dragon I know.” Spike chuckled as he scratched his head. “I have my moments.” “Indeed you do, and I thank you again for that.” Sweetie Belle looked between the two as she watched Spike blush a shade of pink and Rarity gaze at him sweetly. Ever since he started visiting her older sister more often after getting his growth spurt, she noticed that Rarity was acting slightly differently around him. She would sometimes gaze at him for long periods and feel a little flattered whenever he commented on her beauty or sense of generosity. Sweetie also knew that Spike had a crush on her older sister ever since she overheard her talking about it when she was alone in her work room. Perhaps she may have misheard her, Sweetie thought, but thought wrong when she saw Rarity smiling to herself at how adorable it was for the purple dragon to have feelings for her. Sweetie Belle placed her spoon down on her plate with an audible clink and cleared as her older sister turned to her. “Rarity? Would it be okay if I went ahead and started cleaning up all the dresses on the floor?” the unicorn filly asked. “Oh, well, I don’t see why not.” Rarity replied. “But aren’t you going to finish your ice cream? You’re nearly finished.” she pointed to her younger sister’s ice cream bowl. True to her word, there was only a little bit of ice cream left. “Oh!” Sweetie scooped the remaining ice cream into her spoon and ate it whole as she levitated her bowl and spoon into the sink. “I am now, so I’ll be upstairs putting away all the dresses in the hallway if you need me.” The unicorn filly trotted out of the kitchen and up the stairs as Spike and Rarity were left alone in the kitchen. They sat in silence for a moment as they glanced at each other and felt a sense of awkwardness. “We should go ahead and start cleaning up your home too.” Spike said as he stood up and took his bowl into his hand before taking Rarity’s bowl and spoon as well. “Here, let me take care of that for you.” “Why thank you, Spike.” Rarity smiled at him as she got out of her seat. And went out of the kitchen. A frown adorned her expression as she looked around at the sheer mess that she created during her depressed state. ‘Oh my, I’m going to need a day at the spa after this.’ “So what are we doing first?” Spike asked once he exited the kitchen. “Do you want me to take care of the cleaning?” “Oh no, I couldn't possibly allow you to do that when I was the one who made this mess. I can take care of things from here, Spike.” “What? No way.” he shook his head. “I can do this, Rarity. This isn’t the first time I’ve handled large messes, you know.” She knew he had a point. Cleaning up piles of books in the Golden Oaks Library and the library in the Castle of Friendship proved his point. “But I still don’t want you to do this. It was my fault for neglecting this for so long and I have to take responsibility.” Spike let out a chuckle. “Sorry, Rarity. But I’m not taking no for an answer.” He began to pick up the unfinished dresses off the floor and the papers as the white unicorn stared at him for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. Despite that, a smile formed on her lips. “Well, if you’re sure, then I won’t stop you, darling. But I’ll clean up the mess upstairs and we can call ourselves even.” “Sure thing.” Spike nodded as he took the unfinished dresses outside and into the garbage can. The white unicorn smiled off in his direction before going upstairs, lighting up her horn and levitating any dress that was on the floor onto her back and any crumpled piece of paper into the trash can she brought out of her room. As she continued, her thoughts drifted off to the purple pre-teenage dragon. It wasn’t too long ago when he was little and chubby, and he was now taller, more strong and muscular, and slightly attractive in her opinion. For some odd reason, Rarity felt slightly different around him whenever he came over to help or to simply just hang out. She would feel more happy than usual and a little giddy. She kept telling herself that it was just her imagination, but the more time they spent together, the more happy she was for his company and assistance. Once Rarity finished getting all the unfinished dresses and crumpled pieces of paper off of the stairs, she took them back downstairs and towards the garbage can outside as she looked around the main area of her home to see that it was halfway clean and all the curtains on all the windows were pulled open. She looked to see the front door opening as Spike stepped back inside and wiped his forehead. “Whew! I’m getting close to being almost done with all the cleaning down here.” he said. “I can see that.” Rarity said as she moved towards the door. “Do you want me to put those dresses in the trash for you?” Spike asked. “You don’t seem to be moving all that well with the weight of them on your back like that.” True to his word, the white unicorn’s legs were shaking due to the weight of the dresses on her back. Despite that, she shook her head. “Spike, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle this.” “Rarity, I know you’re determined to do most of the work, but I can help. Besides, what’s wrong with the extra assistance?” “Well…when you put it like that,” she let out a defeated sigh. “Oh, how can I say no? Here you go, Spike.” Rarity positioned herself and allowed the purple dragon to lift the dresses off her back as she let out a sigh. “Oh, it feels so good to get those off my back. They were getting quite heavy.” “Happy to help.” Spike smiled as he took the dresses over to the garbage can and crammed them in. Rarity waited until he came back inside before going back upstairs and levitating more dresses onto her back and pieces of papers into her trash can, which was now overflowing with lots of other crumpled pieces of paper. She turned and went downstairs as Spike waited at the bottom for her as he took the trash can into his claws and took it outside and emptied it into the garbage can. With the combined efforts, they both managed to complete cleaning all of Carousel Boutique within 45 minutes as they both came down the stairs and sat on the fainting couch together. “Spike, you don’t know how thankful I am for your assistance today.” Rarity said as she smiled gratefully at him. “You were a big help.” “What can I say? I love helping you.” Spike said as he smiled back. “What are friends for, anyway?” They continued to smile at each other before the white unicorn cleared her throat and stood up. “You deserve an award.” Spike looked at her in surprise. “Really?” “Yes, and I insist. Now wait here.” Rarity turned and went up stairs as the purple dragon waited patiently. It didn’t take too long for his crush to return as she came up to him with a small chest in her magical aura. “This is from me to you.” She placed it in his lap as he picked it up and opened it, widening his eyes and staring down at the delicious array of gems. He then looked up to see Rarity smiling at him. “Is something wrong, Spike?” she asked him. It was as if this were deja vu. He shook his head and smiled down at his tasty treat. “Nope. It’s perfect.” he placed the chest down on the couch and stood up as he embraced her in a hug. “Thanks, Rarity.” “You’re welcome, Spikey-wikey.” She hugged him back before breaking the embrace. “Well, you should probably go on and head back to the castle. I’m sure Twilight is waiting for your return.” “Y-yeah, you’re right.” Spike grabbed the chest of gems and went out of the front door back to the Castle of Friendship as Rarity stepped outside and waved at him. “Farewell, Spike! I’ll see you tomorrow for the picnic!” “I’ll be there!” he called back to her as he walked back home to the castle. As he continued through town, he opened his chest and looked at his gems with a smile. This wasn’t the first time he had received a generous gift from his crush throughout all the time he and Twilight have lived in Ponyville. There was the time when Rarity gave him a gem for helping him extract gems from near the Diamond Dog tunnels and when she kissed him after he gave her his Fire Ruby. Yet there was one thing that was missing from all this that he always wanted the minute he first saw her. He wanted to become her special somedragon. Spike knew that there was a chance he would win her heart now that she wasn’t chasing after any handsome stallions and devoting more of her time to her work. Only time would tell if this was his fate. Discord materialized in his kitchen back in his castle as he began searching in all the cabinets and drawers for a cookbook. “Now let’s see, where is that cookbook? I know I have one somewhere.” he muttered to himself as he shrank himself and went inside the oven in hopes that a cookbook was in there, but to no avail. He teleported out of the oven and grew back to his normal height as he began searching in the refrigerator for any signs of anything that looked like a book, but wound up with the same results. “Where is it?” he said with annoyance. That’s when realization hit him. He doesn’t have a cookbook. He slapped himself in the face before a light bulb flashed above his head as he grinned with an idea. He may not have a cookbook, but there was a certain pink pony who did. Discord teleported outside of Sugarcube Corner and spotted Pinkie over by her ice cream stand as he teleported over to it. “Ah, Pinkie Pie. Just the pony I need to see.” “Hi Discord! Do you want some ice cream?” she asked with a grin. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m actually here for an entirely different reason,” he replied. “Ooh, what is it, what is it?” “Do you happen to have a cookbook by any chance?” “Yup, and it’s in the bakery! But why do you need one?” Pinkie asked. “Well, see here’s the thing, my little pony.” Discord began. “I was having tea with Fluttershy when she invited me to this picnic she and your friends are having tomorrow, to which I happily agreed. I even offered to bring my cucumber sandwiches.” “You did? I bet they taste super duper yummy.” “They are, and Fluttershy even said so herself, but I also told her that I would bake some cupcakes as an extra. That’s why I’m here actually." The Draconequus paused for a moment before continuing. “Can you teach me how to bake? Please?” Pinkie was silent for a moment before breaking out into a grin. “I’d love to!” “You would?” Discord asked in surprise. “Of course, silly! It’s not every day that I get to teach others how to cook, and you’re my second student. So step right into the bakery and I’ll be right with you!” “Well…alright.” Discord said as he teleported into the kitchen, surprising Mrs. Cake as she jumped at his sudden appearance and turned to face him. “Oh, It’s just you, Discord. What brings you here to the kitchen?” the blur earth pony asked with a forced smile. “If you must know, Pinkie has agreed to teach me how to bake cupcakes,” he replied before looking around. “Where’s your husband? I thought he’d be here with you as well?” “He took the twins to their doctor's appointment, he should be back later though.” “Ah, I see. The job of a parent is never done.” Pinkie bounced into the kitchen with her pet alligator, Gummy, on her back as she placed him on the counter top. “Alright, Discord. Are you ready to put your baking cap on?” “I most certainly am.” the Draconequus proudly replied as a chef's hat and apron materialized on him. “Now then, how will we start?” “First, we need to find a good recipe.” Pinkie replied as she pulled out a large baking book from her mane. Discord stared at her with confusion. “How did you do that?” “I dunno,” the pink earth pony replied honestly with an innocent grin. “Everypony else asks me the same thing.” “And yet you don’t know how you pulled a book from your own mane like that?” “Nope.” Discord just stared at her. The fact that she should just do that and have no idea how just didn’t make any sense. ‘Then again, what’s the fun in making sense?’ a thought entered his mind as he sighed and shook his head. Perhaps this pony had magic and didn’t realize it yet, or simply had Draconequus in her family history. “Nevermind. Anyway, how about a good recipe for beginners?” “Coming right up!” Pinkie said as she placed the cookbook on the counter and opened it. She flipped page after page before stopping and turning to face him. “What do you wanna bake, exactly? A cake? Cupcake? Both?” she paused her questioning as she licked her lips with a hungry smile. “Ooh, cupcakes.” “Actually, I want to just make some cupcakes.” Discord replied as she beamed at him. “Ooh! What kind should we make?” “Anything with chocolate? I do love chocolate if I do say so myself.” “Gotcha.” Pinkie turned around and continued to flip the pages in her cookbook before stopping and showing him the page. “Should we try and make these?” Discord levitated the book over to him as he looked at the page with fascination. The cupcakes on the image were a rich chocolaty brown with chocolate frosting that swirled around with equally brown sprinkles on top. The very sight of them was enough to cause the Draconequus to lick his lips before grinning. “Those look absolutely perfect! Fluttershy will surely be pleased.” “Then let’s get started.” Pinkie said as the cookbook floated over to a book stand. She pulled out 4 cupcake trays and two mixing bowls before pulling out all the needed measuring cups and ingredients. “Alright, Discord, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.” she said to him in a serious tone yet still smiling.”You’ve been waiting to get baking lessons ever since…um, how long have you wanted to bake without magic?” “Since I left Fluttershy’s cottage an hour ago,” he shrugged, figuring it was the best answer. “Exactly! You’ve been waiting to bake for over an hour. Are you ready?” “Pretty much.” “Uh uh! You need to be confident! Now let me ask you again; are you ready to bake the most delicious cupcakes you have ever baked in your entire life?” “I’m ready!” Discord jumped in the air with a salute with a confident smile. “Great! Then let’s get baking.” Pinkie smiled as he teleported in front of the cooking area. “The first thing we need is to set the oven to 350 degrees.” “Already on it.” Discord reached over with his snake tail and turned his tuft into a hand as he twisted the temperature knob to the said temperature. “There.” “Great. Now we need to add ¾ cup of flour, ½ cup of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Make sure to make the ingredients thoroughly combined.” Discord immediately began adding the ingredients to his mixing bowl with the needed measuring cups, making sure that the amount was just right, as he poured them into the mixing bowl and mixed them together. He looked over to see the pink earth pony doing the same thing in her own mixing bowl only at a much faster pace. “I didn’t know you were making cupcakes with me. I thought I was doing all the baking on my own?” the Draconequus raised an eyebrow at her. “Well yeah, but the recipient requires you to use another cupcake pan.” Pinkie said. “Besides, I wanna make my own chocolate cupcakes for later!” He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “Anyway, what’s next?” “You need to put 2 eggs, ½ cup of granulated sugar, ½ cup of brown sugar, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla into a separate medium bowl, and make sure to make it completely smooth.” The Draconequus snapped up a medium sized mixing bowl as he looked over at the open egg carton and he took 2 eggs before looking at them. “So, do I just drop them in or what?” he asked with confusion. Pinkie giggled. “No silly. You need to crack the shell and let the yolk fall in. Watch.” As a demonstration, she took one of her eggs into her mouth and taped it against her medium sized mixing bowl before placing the egg in her mouth and pulling apart the shell, causing the yolk to fall into the bowl. “Go on and try! Just be careful to not let any part of the egg shell fall in with the rest of the ingredients.” Discord looked down at his egg before knocking it against the tip of his medium mixing bowl with the correct force input as he gently pulled apart the shell with his fingers, allowing the yolk to fall into the bowl. When he noticed that not a single piece of the egg shell unintentionally fell in, he picked up the other egg and cracked it, pulling apart its shell and allowing the yolk to fall into the bowl and join the already present one as he scooped out the other ingredients with the required mixing cups and dumped them into the bowl, making sure to make the ingredients completely smooth. “Wow Discord, you’re doing great!” Pinkie smiled over at him. “Now you need to pour half of the wet ingredients and half of the buttermilk in with the dry ingredients.” He poured the wet ingredients in the large mixing bowl and added the buttermilk. “This is turning out to be a lot easier than I thought.” “It is! Now all you need to do is gently mix the ingredients in the large bowl for a few seconds and do the same for the medium bow.” The Draconequus summoned two electric mixers as he turned them on and placed them in the mixing bowls, making sure to get the mixing just right before making the mixers disappear. “Alright, I did that. Now what?” Discord asked with a slight hint of impatience. “All of this baking is making me hungry.” “We’re almost done, you just need to pour the batter into the cupcake holes on your cupcake trays, but only fill the holes up halfway.” Pinkie said as she began pouring her batter into her own cupcake tray holes. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Discord lifted up the large mixing bowl and began pouring half of the chocolate cupcake batter into the cupcake holes. “Great! All that’s left is to put the trays in the oven and let them bake for 18-21 minutes.” “You mean I have to wait?” Discord asked with an annoyed and bored expression. “I thought this would be quick?” “Sorry Discord, but you can’t rush cooking, not even with your magic.” Pinkie stated matter-of-factly as she opened the oven door and placed her cupcake trays on the rack. “Besides, it would really impress Fluttershy if you were patient for once.” He grumbled as he snapped his fingers, teleporting his cupcake trays inside the oven as Pinkie closed the oven door and set the timer. “There, the hard part’s over.” “Yup, and you did a fantastic job!” Pinkie grinned at him as she held out her hoof. “Wanna shake hooves for a job well done?” Discord looked at her for a moment before smirking. “Alright, if you insist.” He held out his eagle claw and placed it on her hoof as she suddenly felt an electric shock, earning a snicker from the Lord of Chaos as he bursted into laughter. “Oh that was priceless! You fell for the joy buzzer!” Discord held out his eagle claw as Pinkie looked to see a familiar device on his palm, causing her to bust out laughing as well. “You got me good!” the pink earth pony giggled. “You’re so funny!” “I guess I am.” The two of them continued to laugh for a little longer before finally calming down. “Right, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, making a small box with a brown and gray button materialize on the counter. “This button will summon me no matter where I am. When the cupcakes are ready, just press it and I’ll be right here.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie grinned as the Draconequus disappeared in a flash of light. Soon, his delicious treats will be ready, and he hoped that Fluttershy would love them. The front doors to the Castle of Friendship opened as Spike stepped inside the home he, Twilight, and Starlight shared as the purple dragon went towards the library. As he approached the door to the library, he saw Flash Sentry standing at his post next to the doors and gave the Pegasus guard a smile. Ever since he moved into the castle and became Twilight’s guard, he and Spike became close friends and treated each other like brothers. Despite the purple dragon’s slight distrust towards Flash, he saw that the Pegasus guard took his role seriously and swore to protect Twilight if she was ever in any kind of danger. Flash himself was also glad to be Spike’s friend. He’d never seen a dragon before and was eager to meet the number one assistant to the Princess of Friendship, despite being a little nervous around him. He eventually grew to like the purple dragon and even expressed his liking of the Power Ponies comics, much to Spike’s surprise. They would sometimes read them together whenever they both were available and they were friends ever since. “Hey Flash. Is Twilight in the library still?” Spike asked as he placed his hand on the doorknob. “She sure is. It’s kind of hard to get her away from her books for too long.” Flash Sentry replied with a chuckle. Spike chuckled in agreement. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” Flash held out his hoof as the purple dragon bumped it with his fist before opening the door and entering the library. “Hey Twilight, I’m back.” Spike called over to the Princess of Friendship as he saw her and Starlight sitting in their chairs, only to notice another chair pulled up to their reading area with a familiar yellow unicorn sitting in it with a book in her magical grasp. “Sunset Shimmer?” “Hi Spike.” she smiled at him as he came up to her and briefly embraced her in a hug. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m staying here in the castle for the week.” “No, not at all. It’s great to see you again.” Spike smiled back at her. “And you’ll even join us for the picnic tomorrow.” “Picnic?” Sunset frowned at him in confusion and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” Twilight spoke up as she lowered her book and placed her bookmark in it before closing it. “Every month, me and my friends have a picnic in the park at our usual picnic spot.” “It’s true.” Spike added in agreement. “I’ve actually been on a few of them.” “What are they like?” Sunset asked with curiosity. “They’re really nice and relaxing.” Starlight answered. “We get to eat and spend time together with our friends.” “You’ll like them, Sunset,” Twilight added as she cut into the conversation. “My friends are just like the girls back in the mirror world, and they’re super nice.” “Is Discord going to be at the picnic tomorrow?” Sunset asked with slight hesitation, part of her unsure if she’d like him. “Meh, I doubt it,” Spike replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand, much to her relief. “But even if he does come to the picnic, it would be a great opportunity for you to make a new friend.” Twilight added. The yellow unicorn felt a wave of nervousness from that statement. “I don’t know. I mean, Discord is the Lord of Chaos, isn’t he? What if he decides to use his magic on me?” she shuddered at the thought. Twilight gave her a comforting smile. “I understand that you’re nervous Sunset, but Discord isn’t as bad as you think. I mean sure he’s annoying and a little immature, but he’s pretty nice once you get to know him.” Sunset was still unconvinced. “Okaaaay? What was Discord like when he was reformed?” “Don’t even get us started.” Spike replied as he explained the time when the Draconequus never bothered to tell Twilight and her friends about the plunder seeds he planted, interfered with Twilight and Cadence’s day out together, joined forces with Tirek, behaved rudely at the Grand Galloping Gala, and ruined a good game of Ogres and Oubliettes. “Sheesh, and here I thought I had a bad track record.” Sunset said. “If we do become friends, at least we’ll have one thing in common.” “Try not to worry too much about tomorrow, Sunset.” Twilight said as she gave her a reassuring smile. “The picnic will be fine, and even if you don’t become friends with Discord, it’ll be a good opportunity to meet him.” “Y-yeah, you’re right.” Sunset nodded, feeling slightly relieved and nervous at the same time. She had never met Discord before and was wondering how he would treat her tomorrow at the picnic. Would he turn her into something strange or pull a mean prank on her? Would he be nice to her and give her a chance at friendship? The more she thought about the possibilities, the more she felt unsettling. Only time would tell if Discord would like her. The timer in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner went off as Pinkie stepped back inside the cooking area and opened the oven door, immediately being welcomed by the eat from the inside and the rich smell of chocolate as she placed the heat-proof cloth on her mouth and carefully took the cupcake trays out of the oven and placed them on the counter before closing the oven door and turning the oven off. “Ooh! I’d better summon Discord.” Pinkie said through her cloth as she spat it out and went over to the button that summoned the spirit of chaos and pressed it. Immediately afterwards, the Draconequus teleported into the kitchen, who was currently relaxing in a warm bubble bath. As soon as he realized that there was a sudden change in the environment, he opened his eyes and jumped to his feet with a surprised yelp before crouching down in the water and glared at the pink earth pony. “Do you mind? I’m in the middle of a luxurious bubble bath.” “Sorry, but your cupcakes are ready.” Pinkie said, completely unfazed from his displeasure. Discord’s unhappy expression changed into one of delight. “Finally!” He made his bathtub disappear back to his bedroom bathroom in his castle as he got on all fours and shook himself dry like a dog before teleporting over to the counter and looking at his cupcakes with a smile. “These turned out a lot better than I thought.” “I know, and you did a super duper good job creating them!” Pinkie grinned at him. “Now all that’s left is to add chocolate frosting and add the chocolate sprinkles.” She went over to the pantry and pulled out 2 chocolate frosting bottles and 2 small boxes of chocolate sprinkles before returning to her spot next to the Draconequus and handed him one of the sprinkle boxes and frosting bottles. “So how do I do this?” Discord asked as he eyed them with confusion. “Without magic?” he added with disappointment and boredom. “Yup, but it’s not hard at all.” Pinkie said. “All you need to do is squirt the frosting and make it look like a swirl. As for the sprinkles, all you need to do is sprinkle them on the frosting.” Discord picked up the chocolate frosting bottle as he slowly and carefully began squirting the frosting onto the first cupcake he chose in a swirl before opening the sprinkle box and taking a small sample of chocolate sprinkles in his lion fingers. He carefully rubbed his fingers as the sprinkles rained down on the cupcake in an almost perfect fashion, with a few of the sprinkles falling onto the pan instead. Once he finished, he carefully placed them on the cupcake before picking up the frosting bottle and moving onto the next cupcake. He repeated the process on the remaining cupcakes (except for dropping a few sprinkles unintentionally) as he finished adding sprinkles to the last cupcake on the second tray. “Finally!” Discord exclaimed with relief as he cracked his fingers. “That took forever.” “It didn’t take you that long, and your cupcakes look super super yummy!” Pinkie said as she looked at them with a grin. “They do look pretty tasty if I do say so myself.” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, summoning two large plates large enough for the cupcakes as they floated out of the tray and onto the plates. “I suppose I should thank you for the cooking lessons, Miss Pie. let me know if there’s anything I can do to return the favor.” “You’re welcome, Discord!” Pinkie grinned at him. “Buuuuut, did you say you’ll do anything to return the favor?” “Yes?” The pink earth pony pretended to think for a moment. “Maybe, just maybe, I can get some chocolate milk with whipped cream on top?” she suggested thoughtfully. The Draconequus rolled his eyes before shrugging as he snapped his fingers, causing a glass of chocolate milk with a straw and whipped cream on top to materialize in front of her as she immediately snatched it and took a sip. “Mmm! Thanks, Discord!” Pinkie smiled at him. “See you at the picnic tomorrow!” “Yes yes, farewell.” he said nonchalantly as he teleported with his chocolate cupcakes back to his kitchen in his castle as he summoned a picnic basket and levitated the cupcakes into it. He then snapped his fingers and summoned a good enough amount of cucumber sandwiches for the picnic and placed them in the picnic basket before closing its lid and brushing his hands together. Once he finished, he teleported into his bedroom bathroom and filled up his tub with fresh warm water with bubbles in them as he slithered in it like a snake and let out a relaxed sigh as he closed his eyes. He could already imagine how impressed Fluttershy will be when she’ll taste the cupcakes. “Oh Discord, these cupcakes are so delicious! You’re so talented.” Discord said in a perfect replication of the yellow Pegasus’ voice. “Why thank you for noticing, Fluttershy.” he said in his normal voice to himself with an acted smirk of pride. “All I want is to please you with my endless talents, my dear.” Discord’s smirk melted into a warm smile as he imagined Fluttershy smiling warmly at him. He secretly found it to be adorable and beautiful when she smiled at him, which caused a strange warmth from his heart. He didn’t know why that happened but chose to forget about it. The rest of the day at Discord’s castle was pretty uneventful. All he did was just float among the chaos that lived within the brick walls and imagine himself and Fluttershy tomorrow at the picnic with her friends having a wonderful time and making her laugh with his endless jokes and talents. After eating his dinner and relaxing in his bed reading a newspaper upside down, he put on his nightcap and turned out the light as he made his newspaper disappear and sink into the warmth of his bed before dozing off into a peaceful slumber. When the sun began to rise the next morning, Discord was awoken by the loud honking of his air horn alarm clock as he made is disappear before sitting up and yawning, which was combined with the low roar of a lion as he rubbed his eyes and took off his nightcap before teleporting into the kitchen and fixing himself some breakfast, which consisted of chocolate milk and cotton candy. As the Draconequus ate his meal tiredly, he noticed a picnic basket on the table. It took him a moment to realize why it was there as flashbacks of yesterday flash in his mind. Today was the picnic. His demeanor immediately changed into a more positive one as he gulped down the rest of his cotton candy whole and drank his chocolate milk quickly, letting out a burp afterwards, as he quickly teleported to his bathroom and brushed his teeth as a fast pace before returning to the kitchen in a flash of light and grabbing the picnic basket and teleported inside of Fluttershy’s cottage. Once he arrived, he noticed that most of the animals that slept inside were still asleep. Some were already waking up while a small portion of them were awoken by his sudden appearance, glaring at him with annoyance as Discord ignored them and settled down on the couch. Since it was still early in the morning and Fluttershy had not yet awoken, he had to wait. The Draconequus had to resist the urge to groan in annoyance. ‘Waiting is so boring.’ he thought with annoyance. He considered using his magic to liven the place up a little bit or mess with the animals that were already awake, but dismissed the thought. Fluttershy would probably be upset with him and change her mind about him accompanying her to the picnic. His gaze soon drifted over to the stairs. ‘Maybe she won't wake up.’ Discord stood up and floated up the stairs as he came to a stop in front of a closed bedroom door and made himself invisible before stopping. He knew he shouldn’t be sneaking into her room without her permission, but he just couldn’t stop himself, even if a part of him told him to stop and go back to the couch. Making up his mind, he used his magic to soundlessly seep through the door and float above Fluttershy’s bed, spotting her sleeping peacefully with a small smile. He mentally noted how cute she was like that before soundlessly teleporting back to the couch downstairs. Fluttershy woke up a few hours later with a yawn as she sat up and got out of bed and looked down to see Angel still sleeping in his bunny bed. “Angel, it’s time to wake up.” she spoke in a soft voice. Angel squeezed his eyes slightly and shifted his position to face away from her as he buried himself deeper inside the comfort of his bed, only to feel light stroking on his back. “Sorry Angel, but it’s time to wake up.” Fluttershy said as she picked him up and placed him on her bed. He grumbled groggily in his bunny language as he rubbed his eyes with his paws with a sleepy expression. The yellow Pegasus went over to her bedroom window as she opened it and drew in a breath before letting out a sigh. The morning air was much cooler now that the heat wave had passed and it was now safer for her to go to the animal sanctuary and do a few tasks before the picnic. She was immediately greeted by the chirping of three of her birds as she smiled at them. However, her smile faded once she noticed her flying friends were chirping at her with urgency. “Oh my, what’s wrong, friends?” Fluttershy asked as one of the birds landed on the windowsill and chirped at her. Due to her talent with animals, she could understand every single word the bird was chirping at her as she gasped. “There’s two lost baby squirrels wandering the edge of the Everfree Forest? Oh no, I need to help them.” She turned her attention to her pet white bunny. “Angel, I’m afraid that breakfast will have to wait for a little while. Can you look after the cottage for me?” Angel gave Fluttershy a swift salute with a serious expression as she smiled gratefully at him before flying out of the window and searching for the baby squirrels. It didn’t take her long to locate the first one as she landed on the ground and gently approached it. The squirrel kit stopped her little trek and turned around as she noticed the yellow Pegasus approaching her with a gentle smile. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Fluttershy cooed as she held out her hoof and allowed the squirrel kit to sniff it for a moment before nuzzling it. “There, you see? I’m here to help you. Can you tell me why you’re wandering around on your own?” The squirrel kit chittered at the yellow Pegasus as she nodded in understanding. “You and your brother got hungry when your mother didn’t return from looking for some nuts for breakfast?” she summarized as the baby squirrel nodded in reply. “I understand that you were hungry but you really shouldn’t wander off on your own, and your mother is probably worried sick.” Fluttershy said in a gentle scolding tone as the squirrel kit looked down with guilt. “I know you didn’t mean it. Do you know the way back to your burrow?” The squirrel kit nodded in reply as she pointed towards some trees closer inside of the Everfree Forest. “That’s good. Would you like me to carry you back to your home?” The Squirrel nodded as Fluttershy gently picked her up and placed her on her back before flying off in the direction of the burrow. As they entered the Everfree Forest, they spotted a worried adult squirrel in front of a tree with a small squirrel-sized hole at the bottom. She saw the yellow Pegasus fly up to her and land on the ground as a baby squirrel hopped off her back. Once the adult squirrel saw the kit, she smiled at her as she scurried over to the baby squirrel and nuzzled her before chittering at Fluttershy gratefully. “Oh, you’re welcome.” she smiled at the squirrel mother as she chittered at her once again. “Oh, I’m sorry but I haven’t seen your son anywhere. The mother squirrel grew worried at this. “But don’t worry, I’ll find him I promise.” Fluttershy quickly added. Before she could get far, the sound of a twig snapping nearby caught everyone's attention as the squirrels scurried back inside their burrow. The sound of upcoming hoofsteps caused a wave of fear to overcome the yellow Pegasus as she ran towards the nearest tree large enough to hide her and hide behind it. Her heart was pounding at the possibility of a Timberwolf or any other kind of dangerous creature stalking over to eat the squirrel family or her. Fluttershy chanced a peak from around her hiding spot as she saw a tan Pegasus colt with a blonde mane and tail with a grassy meadow for a cutie mark and sapphire blue eyes carrying a baby squirrel of his own on his back. He landed in front of the squirrel burrow as he allowed the baby squirrel on his back to hop off. “Hello? Is anyone home?” the Pegasus cold asked in a soft and gentle tone as the mother squirrel and her daughter peaked their heads out of the hole. Once they spotted the squirrel kit that moved up to them, they broke out into grins as they scurried out of their burrow and embraced him before looking up at the Pegasus cold and chittering at him. “You’re welcome.” he smiled modestly. “Remember to stay in your burrow, little ones.” The baby squirrels nodded as they and their mother went back inside their burrow. Once they were gone, the Pegasus colt spread his wings and prepared to take flight. “Excuse me?” He paused his preparations as he folded his wings back against his body and turned his head. Fluttershy stepped out of her hiding spot as she slowly approached the Pegasus colt with a shy expression. For a few moments, they both looked away from each other shyly and rubbed their forelegs awkwardly. “Hi.” Fluttershy said softly. “Hi.” the Pegasus colt said back in the same volume. “What are you doing out here in the Everfree Forest?” “I found a baby squirrel nearby and decided to return him to his mother.” “Really? I found a baby squirrel closer to my cottage and brought her back here as well.” Fluttershy said with less shyness as she faced the Pegasus colt. “I think you found the mother squirrel’s son.” “Looks like it.” he said as he faced the yellow Pegasus. Once he saw her, his own shyness melted away considerably. “Are you Fluttershy?” “Yes.” she replied with surprise. “How do you know my name?” “I actually heard about you, and I’m a big fan of your heroism.” the tan Pegasus replied as he smiled at her. “My name is Meadow Brook, by the way. But you can just call me Meadow for short.” “It’s nice to meet you, Meadow.” Fluttershy smiled back at him. “I didn’t think I was good enough to have any fans.” “Well, now you do.” They smiled at each other for a moment before Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I should probably head back to my cottage. My animals are probably wondering where I am.” “That’s understandable.” Meadow nodded in understanding. “I hope I’ll be able to see you again soon.” “Me too, and it was nice meeting you.” the yellow Pegasus smiled at him. “Same here. See you around.” Meadow waved at her before turning and flying up into the air. Once he was gone, Fluttershy turned and trudged through the forest and returned to the familiar setting of her garden as she went up to the front door to her cottage and opened it. Once she opened the door, she spotted Discord laying down on the couch as he looked over at her with a grin. “Ah, there you are, Fluttershy.’ he said as he teleported over to her side. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up, but it seems you were out in the woods with your animals, hmm?” “I-I was.” she managed to say as the Draconequus closed the door for her. “I didn’t know you were coming over before the picnic.” “I was too excited to wait, so I decided to come to your home and spend the morning with you.” Discord said. “Oh, and I fed all your animals while you were gone.” “Really? Thank you, Discord. You didn’t have to do that for me, you know.” “You know I want to make you happy, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “So go on and wash yourself up. You are rather dirty.” Fluttershy looked down to see that her hoofs had dirt on them and the lower part of her tail had leaves and small twigs in them. “You’re right. I’ll be right back.” She turned and went up the stairs to her bathroom as Discord heard the door close. He heard thumping as he turned and looked down to see Angel glaring at him. “Sorry, little fellow, but I’m the king of this couch.” the Draconequus smirked at him as a crown materialized on his head. “So run along.” Angel didn’t seem to hear the last part as he hopped up and grabbed Discord by the lion paw and tried to pull him off the couch. The Lord of Chaos couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Do you really think you can pull me off this luxurious couch?” He rubbed his back against the couch as he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. This seemed to infuriate Angel further as he hopped onto Discord’s chest and kicked him on the nose. The Draconequus wasn’t hurt, but it did seem to annoy him slightly as he opened his eyes and gave the white bunny a bored look. “You know, you’re more of a brat than you realize.” Both of them heard hoofsteps from the stairs as they turned to see Fluttershy descending down the steps. “Ah, there you are, Fluttershy.” Discord smiled over at her as he took a sniff of the air. “You smell lovely.” “Thank you.” she smiled back as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Angel rolled his eyes as he hopped onto the floor and outside through an open window. They were incredibly cheesy together in his opinion, and wouldn’t be surprised if they fell in love with each other and got married. “Shall I make you some breakfast, my dear?” Discord asked. “I already had mine in case you were wondering.” “Oh, no thank you. I can do it on my own.” Fluttershy declined politely. “Nonsense. You need a pick-me-up before doing whatever it is you do after your morning meal.” Discord teleported them into the kitchen as a plate of 5 pancakes with syrup and a lump of butter on top materialized on the table as Fluttershy sat in the chair in front of the yummy looking meal and took a bite. “This is delicious!” Fluttershy proudly proclaimed. “I knew you’d like it.” Discord smirked with pride. “Only the best for a pretty mare like you.” She blushed from the compliment as she continued to eat her meal happily. After finishing all her pancakes, Discord made the plate disappear as they went out towards the animal sanctuary where the yellow Pegasus did as many tasks there as possible, with the help of her chaotic friend of course. They both stayed in the animal sanctuary all morning and into the early afternoon hours as Discord made his picnic basket materialize in his lion paw and floated behind Fluttershy to the park for the picnic. “Are we there yet?” Discord asked. “It feels like it’s been an eternity.” Fluttershy giggled. “We haven't been walking for that long, and we’re almost there.” “Well, I hope we get there soon. I’m hungry.” At long last, they reached the park and came to a stop in an open area as Discord snapped his fingers, causing a picnic blanket with a red and black checkered pattern to materialize on the ground before opening his picnic basket and pulling out a tray of cucumber sandwiches and the two plates of chocolate cupcakes as he placed them on the ground. “Are those the cupcakes you made?” Fluttershy asked. “Why yes they are.” Discord boasted in reply. “But don’t snack on them yet, we’ll have to wait until the others get here. No matter how boring it may sound.” he laid down on the blanket as Fluttershy took her seat next to him on his left, both of them waiting for the others to show up. Nearly a half hour has long since passed since Fluttershy and Discord showed up at the park for the picnic with the rest of the MANE 6, with the others yet to show up. The Draconequus was growing even more hungry by the seconds that passed by “Where are those friends of yours?” Discord asked impatiently. “I have the perfect mind to summon them with my magic.” “Discord, be patient.” Fluttershy said in a light scolding tone. “I’m sure my friends will be here soon.” “Well they better hurry up. The sandwiches and cupcakes won’t eat themselves.” The very thought of such a chaotic scene caused the Draconequus to chuckle. “Unless I make them.” A distant sonic boom could be heard as Fluttershy and Discord looked up in the air to see Rainbow Dash speeding towards them in the air before landing on the ground in front of the picnic basket. “Hey Fluttershy.” The cyan Pegasus smiled at her fillyhood friend before looking to see who accompanied her. “Oh, hi Discord.” Rainbow frowned at him. “Ah, Rainbow Dash. A pleasure to see you again.” Discord smiled at her as she took a seat at the picnic blanket. “Win any races lately?” “I haven’t even been in any races.” Rainbow replied, clearly annoyed by his presence. “Well, I’m sure you’ll win the first race you see.” Discord said with a calm smile. “After all, you are the fastest pony in the world.” “Gee thanks.” The sound of a teleportation could be heard as the group looked towards the path to see Twilight, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and an unfamiliar yellow unicorn mare walking up to the picnic blanket and sitting down. As the second ticked on, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie each came up to the picnic area one by one. “Sorry for being late, y’all.” Applejack said as she sat down at the picnic blanket. “Applebloom sprained her hoof this morning while apple bucking and I had to take care of her chores.” “I apologize for being late as well.” Rarity said as she sat down. “I had to take care of a last minute dress order.” “I had to handle the front desk at Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie said as she took her seat “Practice at Wonderbolts headquarters took longer than expected, so I was slowed down.” Rainbow Dash confessed. “And we lost track of time.” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “But it’s good to see you all again. You as well, Discord.” Everyone except for Fluttershy and Rainbow looked up at the spirit of chaos and disharmony with surprised expressions. The only ones who didn’t frown at him were Pinkie and Fluttershy. Twilight cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. “Girls, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, these are my friends: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and our kinda sort of friend Discord.” “Howdy.” “A pleasure to meet you.” “Sup?” “Hiya!” “Hi.” Discord, who was currently deep in thought, stared at Sunset for a moment. For some odd reason, that name sounded familiar. ‘Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer.’ the last time he heard that name… The Draconequus perked up as it all made sense. “Sunset Shimmer? As in Celestia’s old student?” he grinned at her “Um, yes that’s me.” Sunset nodded nervously. “And you’re Discord, the reformed spirit of chaos and disharmony?” “That’s me, and I’m free as a bird.” He transformed into a bald eagle with his mismatched wings still present, earning word looks from everyone except for Fluttershy and a giggle from Pinkie. “And it’s all thanks to my dear friend Fluttershy.” “Oh…you’re welcome.” Fluttershy mumbled shyly as she hid behind her mane. Discord transformed back into his normal form as he returned his attention to the yellow unicorn. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about my chaos in Equestria, just how I also heard about how you broke poor old Kay-Kay’s heart and ran away. Sunset raised an eyebrow at him despite her discomfort. “How do you know about that?” “Being turned to stone doesn’t take away your ability to hear things.” Discord replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, Celestia would sometimes show up to my statue and complain about all her woes and dilemmas. Not like I could help her anyway.” “Oh.” Sunset smiled nervously. “I probably should’ve guessed that.” “But it’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” Discord teleported over to her as he scooped her and Starlight up into his arms in a tight bear hug. “Us three reformed villains. Oh we’ll be the best of friends you and I.” “Discord…can’t…breathe.” Starlight gasped as the Draconequus placed them back in their respective spots. “Sorry about Discord, he’s not as well mannered like he should be.” Twilight said as she gave Sunset an apologetic smile. He gasped with fake hurt. “Why Twilight, how rude of you. I’m plenty well mannered!” to prove his point, he levitated one of the chocolate cupcakes into his lion paw and handed it to Sunset Shimmer. “Go on and taste it.” “Oh, n-no thanks.” Sunset declined. “I’m okay.” “Oh come on, try it. It’s not poisoned if that’s what you're thinking.” The yellow unicorn looked at for a moment before lighting up her horn and enveloping the chocolate cupcake in her magical grasp as she levitated it in front of her mouth and took a small bite. She chewed it thoughtfully for a second before humming thoughtfully and swallowing it. “That tastes pretty good.” Sunset said as she took another bite, this one slightly larger. “I know.” Discord smiled as he teleported back to his spot next to Fluttershy and sat down. “I baked them myself.” “It’s true.” Pinkie added in agreement. “He came over to Sugarcube Corner yesterday and I taught him how to bake!” she took one of the chocolate cupcakes into her hoof and took a large bite out of it, humming with delight. “Soooooo good!” Fluttershy took one of the chocolate cupcakes into her hoof as she took a bite out of it. “Oh my, this is delicious.” After hearing this, everyone else took their own cupcakes and took bites out of them as they shared similar reactions. “I have to admit, Discord, you did a really good job making these.” Twilight said as she smiled at him, one that wasn’t forced. “These are quite exquisite.” Rarity nodded in agreement as she took another bite of her cupcake. “They’re right.” Fluttershy smiled up at the Draconequus. “Oh Discord, I don’t know if I ever knew anyone more talented than you.” Discord didn’t know if he could take much more of the praise. Then again, he’d never been praised before. “Oh please, I’m not that talented.” he noticed that Sunset Shimmer was still a little nervous from his presence. “You think I’m intimidating, don’t you?” he asked her. Sunset looked up from her chocolate cupcake as she gave him a sheepish grin. “Oh, well I, uh…” “It's understandable, but I won’t harm a single hair on your head. Just learn to cut loose, enjoy some chaos.” Discord snapped his fingers as cotton candy clouds slowly began to form above the picnic area. Thunder rumbled from them and there were brief flashes of lightning from within the clouds as everyone glared at him. “Discord! Don’t you dare ruin my mane!” Rarity said in warning. “No, no! I want my chocolate rain!” Pinkie objected as she pointed her head straight up and opened her mouth wide expectantly. “Don’t listen to her, Discord.” Rainbow snapped. “You said you were gonna behave.” “While it’s true I said that I would use my magic for good instead of evil, I said I would do it most of the time.” Discord said, making sure to put emphasis in the last 4 words. “Besides, it’s been far too long since I last made my favorite food rain my favorite drink in the world.” A single droplet of chocolate milk fell on his head as another thunder rumble emitted from the cotton candy clouds. It was only a matter of time before it became a full on downpour. “Discord.” a soft and stern voice came from his side. He turned to look down at Fluttershy as she gave him a disapproving glare similar to the one a mother gave to her son when she caught him doing something wrong. It was honestly more adorable than intimidating in Discord’s opinion. “You really shouldn’t make it rain on others just for your own amusement.” Fluttershy scolded him. “And you promised you would behave.” Discord just laughed. “Oh relax, I’m only kidding.” he snapped his fingers as the cotton candy clouds disappeared. “Aww!” Pinkie whined as she gave him her best puppy dog eyes and quivered her lips in disappointment. Discord saw this as he snapped his fingers once again, causing a glass of chocolate milk to materialize in front of the pink earth pony as she happily took it in her hooves and drank it. “Now that we’re all settled down, why don’t we share what’s been going on.” Twilight suggested. “Well, I have something to share.” Applejack volunteered as she gave Rainbow Dash a knowing look. “Rainbow Dash has been spending a lot of time with a certain Wonderbolt.” All eyes turned to the cyan Pegasus as she shifted uncomfortably in her spot. “Well duh.” Rainbow said bluntly with slightly narrowed eyes. “Soarin and I are Wonderbolts, so it’s only natural that we’d practice our flying skills together.” “Who’s Soarin?” Sunset asked. “He’s a member of the Wonderbolts.” Rarity answered before giving Rainbow a knowing look. “And it appears that Rainbow Dash has taken an interest in him.” “W-what? No I haven’t!” Rainbow snapped flusteredly. “Soarin and I are just friends, and I’m not the kind of girl who does whatever it is you’re thinking.” “But you like him, don’t you?” Starlight asked. “Well…he is a Wonderbolt after all.” Rainbow Dash muttered as she felt a small blush coat her cheeks. “And I have found him to be pretty awesome.” she added that last paper in a quick mumble. “Oh Rainbow, I’m so happy for you.” Fluttershy smiled at her fillyhood friend. “It looks like you found your special somepony.” “Now hold on, I’m not even ready for that sort of thing!” Rainbow said as everyone laughed at her embarrassment. She realized her friends were only teasing as she let out a small chuckle. “Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about Twilight and Flash. They certainly look like they could tie the knot” “Rainbow!” Twilight snapped as she shot her friend a glare. “Flash and I aren’t even friends yet.” “Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the little date you both went on a couple weeks ago?” The Princess of Friendship felt a blush of her own heat up her cheeks as she let out a small grumble before clearing her throat and taking a bite out of her chocolate cupcake. “Well, if you must know, I took Flash for a little day out a couple weeks ago.” “Oh, and what exactly did you do to your crush?” Discord teased. Twilight’s blush darkened. “Well…we went to Sugarcube Corner to get some milkshakes.” “It’s true. I saw them there myself.” Pinkie added. “Oh, that’s so adorable.” Rarity gushed. “It looks like Rainbow isn’t the only one with a crush.” “I don’t have a crush!” Rainbow snapped sternly. “And I don’t even have the time to settle down and find a special somepony.” Twilight said with her own embarrassment and discomfort towards the situation. “Besides, if anyone has a good chance at starting a romance life, it’s probably Applejack.” All eyes turned to the cowgirl as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What are y’all talking about?” “Oh come on AJ, we know that Caramel’s been dropping in on your farm a lot lately.” Rainbow said as she took a bite of her chocolate cupcake and gave the orange earth pony a smirk. “It’s true.” Applejack shrugged honestly. For the past few weeks, Caramel had been visiting Sweet Apple Acres almost every day and helped out around the orchard, to which the Apple family was grateful for the extra help. “But do you like him?” asked Twilight. “I honestly don’t know. Caramel’s fine and all but I’m not sure he’s the one for me.” Applejack replied honestly. “It doesn’t hurt to consider the opposite, Applejack.” Starlight said as she took a bite out of one of the cucumber sandwiches. “I’ll keep that in mind.” “What about you, Starlight?” Sunset asked the light purple unicorn. “Do you have a special someone on your mind?” “Um, well…” a small blush coated Starlight’s cheeks as she looked away. “I might have a small crush on my fillyhood friend Sunburst.” “Oh, this is so exciting! All of us except for me, Fluttershy, Sunset, Rarity, and Discord have crushes!” Pinkie said happily. “And why would I have a crush on anyone?” Discord asked, clearly uninterested. “Why not? Wouldn’t it feel good to love somepony and have them love you in return?” Discord scoffed as he summoned a glass of chocolate milk and drank it. “Please, I’m a realist, and love, like all things warm and fuzzy, doesn't exist.” Fluttershy was slightly saddened by this but didn’t show it. “Oh! I nearly forgot.” she spoke up as everyone turned their attention to her. “Earlier this morning while I was helping a baby squirrel reunite with her mother, I met a pony named Meadow Brook.” “Meadow Brook?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow curiously. “He was really kind and gentle with the other baby squirrel that I was about to find, and he was shy when we first met, but that all changed when he saw me, and he confessed to being a big fan of my heroism.” Twilight was now grinning from ear to ear. “You have a fan? That’s so wonderful!” “It is?” Fluttershy asked shyly. “Yeah, Flutters.” Rainbow added on in agreement. “I mean, what’s wrong with having an admirer?” “I quite agree.” Rarity nodded. “If I ever had that kind of admiration, I would bask in it.” “Well, I admire you, Rarity.” Spike smiled at her. “Why thank you, Spikey-wikey.” the white unicorn smiled sweetly at him as he blushed a shade of pink. Discord didn’t know how much more of this he could take. It was one thing in his opinion to have fans, but a random fan just showing up out of the blue? That’s strange even for him, and he was often the cause of strange things. A bored expression came upon his features as he gulped down another chocolate cupcake whole. “Discord?” He looked down to his side to see Fluttershy looking at him with concern. “Is everything okay?” “But of course!” he instantly brightened up as he gave her a grin. “Why would I be the opposite?” “Well, you were being bored and distant when I was talking about Meadow Brook. Are you sure you’re alright?” “Fluttershy, I’m more fine than a cotton candy cloud raining chocolate milk.” Discord smiled. “I just find it strange that a random pony shows up out of nowhere and claims to be a ‘fan’ of your heroism.” “Why is that strange?” Fluttershy asked. “For one thing, you already have a fan. Your biggest fan is yours truly, me.” a butter yellow shirt with Fluttershy’s cutie mark materialized on Discord’s upper body as a pair of blush pink pom poms in his hand. He stood up and took a step back from the picnic blanket as he began waving his pom poms around. “Who’s the pony who’s really shy, who’s the pony who can hardly fly? Who’s the one who loves animals, and who’s the one who’s pure kindness? Well let me tell you a little tale, about the Pegasus who’s not weak and frail. She loves her friends oh so dear, and doesn’t cry a single tear. No matter what comes in her way, she’s super strong and oh so brave. So come on everyone and don’t be shy, let’s give it up for Fluttershy!” Discord launched into the shy and spread his arms out wide as blush pink confetti fired up from out of nowhere. He made it and his cheer leading outfit disappear as he teleported back to Fluttershy’s side at the picnic basket. “See, my dear? I’ll always be your number 1 fan.” “Thank you, Discord.” she smiled at him as everyone stared at him with strange expressions. “What?” Discord shrugged at the others. “You know Fluttershy’s my friend, so it’s only natural that I would take it in my pride to admire her as a fan.” Everyone stared at him for a moment longer before shrugging. Sometimes Discord just didn’t make any sense, and he always said that there’s no fun in making sense. The rest of the picnic went on without incident, or silly chaos interrupting it. After two and a half more hours, everyone began to take their leaves. “It was nice seeing you, girls!” Twilight called as she, Spike, Starlight, and Sunset Shimmer made their way back to the Castle of Friendship. “Bye bye, and I loved the cupcakes, Discord!” Pinkie waved as she hopped back to Sugarcube Corner. “Farewell.” Rarity said as she trotted back to her home. “Take care now ya hear?” Applejack called as she made her way back to her family farm. The only ones who remained were Fluttershy and Discord as he snapped his fingers and made the remaining food and picnic blanket float back into his picnic basket. “That was a lovely picnic, Fluttershy.” Discord said as they teleported back inside her cottage. “And I’m glad that you love my cupcakes.” “I do, and they’re so good.” Fluttershy smiled up at him. “I really meant it when I said that you were so talented.” “Why thank you.” Discord bowed. “And you don’t have to wait to try them another time, you know.” he snapped his fingers as one of the cupcake plates with 5 chocolate cupcakes on them floated out of his picnic basket and onto the table next to the couch. “You can even have some of your own.” “Really? Thank you.” Fluttershy flew up and wrapped her forelegs around his chest as he wrapped his arms around her body. “I hope I’ll see you soon.” “I do as well, but I’ll have to check my schedule.” Discord nuzzled her mane before placing her back on the ground. “Farewell, Fluttershy. Until next time.” He disappeared in a flash of light with his picnic basket as Fluttershy smiled to herself as she sat down in her chair next to the table and began to eat one of the cupcakes. As she ate in silence, her mind drifted off to the little cheer leading the Lord of Chaos did. It wasn’t nicely written and it didn’t rhyme, but it was still a chant for her and she liked it. She giggled to herself as she continued to eat her cupcake, happy that Discord was one of her biggest fans. Once Discord returned to his castle, he teleported his picnic basket to the kitchen and went to his bedroom as he sprawled out on his bed and let out a relaxed sigh. He enjoyed the picnic with Fluttershy and her friends and was glad to show that he was her number 1 fan. His thoughts soon drifted off to the pony Fluttershy was talking about as his smile melted into a frown. It was still strange to him that a random pony, let alone a stallion, would fly in and declare to be a big fan of his favorite pony. A pang of suspicion emitted within Discord’s mind. ‘If that Meadow Brook guy turns out to be a fraud, I’ll turn him into a cupcake and eat him.’ he thought as he narrowed his eyes slightly. He never met him, but something told him he wasn’t going to like him, fan of Fluttershy or not. To be continued… Author's Note I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2. This was the longest chapter I’ve written so far with over 11,000 words, and it’s a new record for me! 😀 The cupcake recipe in this story is actually a recipe that I found on a baking website Here is the image of the cupcake: Here is the link to the website: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/super-moist-chocolate-cupcakes/ I do not own the image nor the recipe and website. And my first original character (OC) for this story, Meadow Brook, has now been introduced. Will there be a love triangle? Will Meadow Brook and Fluttershy become friends? Will Discord get jealous? Let me know if I made any spelling or grammar mistakes and stay tuned and find out what happens next, as the story continues! 😀 Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 3It had been 3 days since the picnic. Fluttershy walked towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary supply shed with a pair of saddlebags on her back, but she wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by the Ponyville Veterinarian, Dr. Fauna. Work had been piling up at the animal sanctuary for days now that more and more animals from across the land had been moving in and calling the tranquil oasis their home, and that required more hours of Fluttershy’s time. She could’ve asked one of her friends for an extra pair of hooves to assist with all the tasks, heck she could’ve asked Discord to take care of them all with the snap of his fingers, but refrained from doing so in hopes to not disturb them or waste their time. The only pony she could turn to was Dr. Fauna, who was more than happy to help out. “Thanks again for helping me out at the animal sanctuary, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled at her gratefully. “It’s no trouble, Fluttershy,” Dr. Fauna smiled back. “When I heard that there were more animals living here and you were struggling with your tasks, I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to jump in and help.” “And I’m really grateful for that.” They reached the supply shed as Fluttershy pulled out the key from underneath the mat and unlocked the door. It opened as she placed the key back underneath the mat and stepped inside with the Ponyville Veterinarian following close behind. Once they were inside, the yellow Pegasus closed the door as they both took off their saddlebags and opened them, getting to work organizing the much needed goods they purchased while in town. As they placed their items onto the shelves, Fluttershy searched her saddlebags with a confused frown. It appeared that certain items were missing. “Where are the fish?” she asked. “I thought I had some when we were coming back here?” Dr. Fauna turned to look at her. “I thought so as well.” she turned to look inside her saddlebags, her expression changing into one of confusion and worry. “I don’t think we got any while we were at the market.” “Oh dear, I knew I was forgetting something.” “Do you want me to make a quick run to the market?” Dr. Fauns asked. “No thank you, it’s my fault for forgetting the fish.” Fluttershy declined politely. “I’ll go and get some more fish myself.” “Are you sure? I’d be happy to take care of that for you.” “I’m sure, and I won’t be gone for too long.” “Well…if you’re sure.” “I am.” Fluttershy said as she emptied her saddlebags and placed them on her back. “I’ll be right back.” She stepped out of the supply shed and made her way into Ponyville as she went up to the fish stand. “Hey, Fluttershy.” The yellow Pegasus let out a surprised yelp as she came to a sudden stop. She turned around and gasped in surprise at the sight of a rather familiar Pegasus stallion. “Meadow!” Meadow Brook smiled at her. “Surprise.” “It’s so good to see you.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “What are you doing here?” “I’m moving into one of the houses on the northern outskirts from my old home in Whinnyapolis, today,” he replied. “I got a position as a vet at the animal hospital here a couple days ago and my first day of work is 2 days from now.” “That’s so wonderful. I’m sure Dr. Fauna and the animals are gonna like the extra help and company.” “I’m glad to hear it.” Meadow smiled. “I really like animals.” Fluttershy was surprised. “You do?” “Yup. I’ve liked them ever since I was a foal. I would sometimes sneak out from my parents cottage during the day and go into the forest to be with the animals that lived there. They were really nice, and I always had lots of fun with them.” “What was it like living near the forest? Wasn’t that dangerous?” “Nope. It was really nice, and my parents started an animal adoption company before I was born. It provided lots of money for us, and it was always a pleasure to make the pets happy with their new owners.” Meadow smiled at the memories, until his smile fell into a remorseful frown. “Well It was, until my father grew seriously ill when I was 8. His illness prevented him from working and he had to stay in bed all the time. Me and my mom had to take care of him as well as his tasks, but he passed away a few weeks later after his sickness was discovered.” Fluttershy felt a wave of sympathy for the light brown Pegasus. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. Your father must have meant a lot to you and your mom.” “He did,” Meadow agreed, memories of his father filling his mind. “My mom’s still alive and lives at our home, but I sometimes worry that without me and my dad, she’ll fall behind with her tasks.” “If you want any help, don’t hesitate to ask me.” Fluttershy said as she placed her hoof on his shoulder comfortingly. “Thanks.” Meadow smiled at her before changing the subject. “But enough about me; what are you doing here at the market?” I forgot to buy some more fish for the ferrets at my animal sanctuary, so I’m just buying some more.” “Do you want me to do that for you?” “Oh, no. I couldn’t allow you to do something that I’m more than capable of doing. Besides, I forgot to buy more fish when I was here with Dr. Fauna.” “It’s no problem.” Meadow smiled at her. “I’ll even carry it back to your animal sanctuary for you.” “No Meadow, it’s okay. I can do this myself.” “I insist, Fluttershy. I’ll buy you your fish and I’ll bring it back with you.” Not taking no for an answer, he went up to the fish stand. “I’d like two bags of medium sized fish, please.” he said to the stallion running the fish booth. “That’ll be 10 bits.” he said as the light brown Pegasus handed him the demanded amount, receiving the bags of fish shortly afterwards. “Here you go.” “Thanks.” Meadow said as he took the bags into his mouth and flew over to Fluttershy. “See? I told you it was no trouble.” “Thanks, Meadow.” she smiled at him. “That was really nice of you.” “It was no problem.” he smiled back. “Now come on, let’s go to your animal sanctuary and drop these off.” Meadow Brook picked up the bags into his mouth once more and turned around, stopping at the sight of a pink earth pony mare with a pink poofy mane and tail with a trio of balloons for a cutie mark he didn’t recognize. She stared at him with a frozen wide-eyed expression as the light brown Pegasus felt uneasy. “Uh, hello?” he said through his clipped mouth. Suddenly, Pinkie sprang into the air with a sharp and long gasp as she sped off, leaving Meadow in a confused daze. “Who was that?” Meadow asked as he placed the bags down and looked at Fluttershy with confusion. “That was my friend Pinkie, but don’t worry about that. She always acts like that when there’s a new pony in town.” the yellow Pegasus said. “If you say so.” Meadow reluctantly said as he followed Fluttershy out of town and towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Once they reached it, Meadow Brook looked around in amazement. “Wow, this place is so big and peaceful!” he marveled. “I know you loved animals, but I never thought you’d go so far as to make them a home.” “Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m planning on expanding the animal sanctuary to allow more room for the animals. The plans are almost done, and soon creatures of all kinds can live here.” “Really? It seems big enough to me.” Meadow said. “N-not that I think your animal sanctuary is too big already.” he quickly added. “I hope I didn’t offend you.” Fluttershy giggled. “Don’t worry you didn’t. My animal sanctuary was big enough, but more animals have been moving in for the last few days and there hasn't been that much room for the ones who already live here. I’ve been super busy with the increase in tasks that need to be done every day.” “Would you like for me to help you with your tasks for today?” Meadow asked. “Oh, no thank you, Meadow.” Fluttershy replied. “I’ll be fine on my own.” “Are you sure? An extra pair of hooves on the job wouldn’t hurt, right?” “I am. I just don’t want to waste your time when you should be at your new home unpacking your things.” Fluttershy said. “It’s not a waste of my time at all.” Meadow smiled at her. “I’d love to help out around here. Besides, I’m in no hurry to unpack my stuff, it can wait.” “But-” “Fluttershy, I want to help you in any way I can while we’re here,” he insisted. “It won’t be a waste of my time. Plus, isn’t helping out others showing a little kindness?” At the mention of the word ‘kindness’, Fluttershy knew she couldn’t turn down an offer like that. Sighing in defeat, she gave him a smile. “Alright, you can help out around the animal sanctuary for today.” “Great!” Meadow beamed with happiness. “I guess we’re starting by dropping off the fish and organizing your supplies?” “Mmm-hmm.” Fluttershy nodded as they continued through Sweet Feather Sanctuary up to the supply shed. Once they entered it, Meadow Brook placed the bags on the ground as he rubbed the sides of his jaw. “Are you alright, Meadow?” Fluttershy looked at him with concern. “I hope carrying those bags didn’t hurt you.” “Don’t worry they didn’t.” he said as he smiled at her. “I’m just a little sore from holding them for so long.” Before the yellow Pegasus could continue fretting over him, he quickly added, “So where do the fish go?” “Oh, they go inside the refrigerator in the closet.” Fluttershy pointed to the door at the back of the shed as he picked up the bags of fish and entered the closet. After finishing his task, he exited the small room and closed the door behind him. “So what else needs to be done?” Meadow asked. Pinkie Pie hummed to herself as she took a tray of chocolate cupcakes out of the oven in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner. With another new face in Ponyville, it was now her sworn duty to throw him a ‘Welcome-To-Ponyville’ party, one where he’ll make all sorts of friends and remember for an extremely long time. She grabbed a frosting squirter and began squirting chocolate brown frosting onto the cupcakes as she heard the door open followed by the bell above it ringing. She placed the frosting squirter on the counter as she stepped out of the kitchen and gasped at who she saw. Leaning against the side of the doorway was a rather familiar yellow earth pony stallion wearing a gray cape and hat covering his eyes with a party noise maker in his mouth. “Been a long time, Pinkie Pie.” he said in a low tone. “Cheese!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly as she zipped up to him and wrapped her forelegs around him tightly. “It’s so good to see you again!” “Likewise.” Cheese Sandwich said as he wrapped his forelegs around her before breaking the embrace. “I know you’re wondering why I’m here.” Pinkie gasped. “How did you know?” “My Cheese Senses were-a tingling, and they told me that there’s gonna be a party right here in Ponyville. Tonight. So I mosied on down here to help make the party you’re planning an even bigger one.” “Really? What do you have in mind?” “Well first, why don’t we go and have a look at your plans?” “Okie-dokie-lokie! Just follow me down to my secret party planning cave and we’ll get straight to work!” Pinkie said as she opened a trap door in the floor and slid down the slide hidden beneath it, squealing in delight. Cheese Sandwich took off his hat and cape and spat out his noise maker as he brightened to his normal cheery demeanor. “Now that looks like fun!” He jumped onto the slide and slid down into the hidden party planning cave of Sugarcube Corner as he shut the trap door and rode the ride down into the grown, laughing with delight as he reached the bottom and stood up, looking around the party playing cave with amazement. “Now this is a party planning cave!” “I know, right?” Pinkie said from her desk over by the filing cabinets as Cheese trotted up to her. Once he sat down next to her, she pulled out a map of Ponyville with some sketches on it and placed it on the table. “What I’ve already planned for the Welcome-To-Ponyville party isn’t much. There’s just gonna be games, balloons, pinatas, party food of all kinds, and a dance floor over here near the fountain.” Pinkie explained as she pointed to the said location. “Any suggestions?” Cheese Sandwich looked at the map and hummed in thought before brightening, an idea forming in his head. “What if we built a stage right here in front of Town Hall?” “That’s an idea.” Pinkie said as she sketched a stage in front of Ponyville Town hall. “Anything else?” “How about a banner above the stage? You can’t have a welcoming party without a banner.” The pink earth pony gasped. “You’re right!” She quickly sketched it down on the map before embracing Cheese. “Thanks for the ideas, Cheese. You’re the best! This is gonna be the bestest and most funerific party in the world!” “I have my moments.” he smiled as Pinkie broke the embrace. “Now all that’s left is to hand out the invitations and build the stage and decorate the town.” “One step ahead of you!” Pinkie reached underneath the desk and pulled out two baskets filled to the brim with party invitations. “I made invitations for everyone in Ponyville, including Discord. All we have to do is hand them out and we can spend the rest of the day decorating!” “That sounds fun!” Cheese grinned. “Ooh, how about we make this a race?” “A race?” “Yeah! Whoever finishes handing out invitations all across town wins a cupcake.” At the mention of the reward, which happened to be her favorite thing to eat in the entire world, she knew she couldn’t resist a challenge like that. Pinkie perked up with a competitive smirk. “You’re on, Cheesy. But don’t think I’m going easy on you because we’re friends.” “Agreed.” he nodded in agreement as they both spat into their hooves and shook them. “The invitation hand-out competition will begin in 5…” Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie stood up and picked up the invitation baskets as they placed them on heads. “4…” Pinkie moved over to the slide as Cheese frowned in confusion. “Uh, how are we supposed to get out of here?” he asked. “3 2 1 go!” Pinkie finished rapidly as she sat down on the slide and slid upwards, leaving Cheese in an impressed gaze before grinning. “A slide that you can slide up, that's genius!” He sat down on the slide and slid up the darkness until he reached the main level of Sugarcube Corner. He stepped out of the ground and closed the trap door as he trotted outside the building and raced all over the place, shoving invitation after invitation into mailbox after mailbox, laughing all the way as he heard Pinkie giggling from her spot not too far away from him. She popped up at random locations at a super fast pace across town and placed her own batch of invitations into the mailboxes, occasionally giving Cheese a smirk as if to say ‘I’m gonna win!’ He shot her his own competitive smirk as he began popping up at random locations across Ponyville at an even faster speed, much to her surprise bewilderment for a moment before continuing to hand out invitations. They both ended up finishing at the exact same time as they returned to Sugarcube Corner, panting from exhaustion. “That…was…so much fun!” Pinkie cheered as she jumped into the air. “I had no idea you could pop up out of nowhere like me!” “Me neither,” Cheese agreed honestly. “But hey, at least I made the competition even, and we can both have a cupcake each.” “You’re right! Let’s go and get our grub on before we build the stage.” They both went inside Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie pulled out cupcakes for them both as they sat at an empty table. “So how are we gonna make the stage?” Cheese asked. “Don’t worry about that. I hired a construction team and they should be building the stage as we speak.” Pinkie replied. “Now we have the entire afternoon to decorate the town square and have lots and lots of fun afterwards!” “Sounds like a plan to me!” After finishing their snake break together, both party ponies exited Sugarcube Corner and went to Ponyville town square. True to Pinkie’s word, a construction team was building a stage in front of town hall. Now all that had to be done was decorate the town and the party would be ready. “So where are the decorations?” Cheese Sandwich asked. “We didn’t even bring a box.” Pinkie pulled out her party cannon. “Right here.” she tapped it as she fired it, causing a massive barrage of party decorations, games, tables, snack and dinner tables, and a dancefloor onto the much needed locations. “That’s a relief.” Cheese said with a grin before he began to shake violently, retelling his teeth in the process. “What’s going on?” Pinkie asked with concern. “Is that a doozy?” “Even worse,” he replied grimly once his shaking subsided. “A teenaged colt needs an emergency birthday party at his home in Manehattan.” “An urgent birthday party? That sounds super duper important!” “It is.” Cheese pulled out his hat and cape as he placed a noise maker in his mouth. “Which means I gotta ride.” he said in his low tone. “You mean you’re leaving me to finish preparing for the Welcome-To-Ponyville party on my own?” Pinkie asked with disappointment. “You just got here.” “I know, my little pony. But a party pony’s gotta party, and there ain’t no stoppin’ me from throwing’ parties across Equestria.” “But I’ll miss you!” Cheese smiled at her. “I’ll miss you too, my fellow partner in crime.” he placed his rubber chicken, Boneless Two on his back. “Well, Boneless Two, looks like we’ve got a long road ahead of us. Let’s ride.” And with that, the yellow earth pony turned and left town as Pinkie waved at him with a smile. “Thank you for helping! I’ll never forget you!” she called out to him as he headed down the path. Meadow Brook had been helping out at Sweet Feather Sanctuary all afternoon. The sun was beginning to set by the time all the day’s tasks had been completed. “Thanks for helping out today, Meadow.” Fluttershy said as she smiled at him. They were both en route to her cottage and he’d insisted on walking her home. “You’re welcome, Fluttershy.” he smiled back. “It was really nice working at your animal sanctuary.” “It was, and the animals really seem to like you.” They both trudged up the path to Fluttershy’s cottage as she unlocked the door and opened it, immediately being greeted by Angel as he stared at the unfamiliar Pegasus stallion with curiosity. “Angel, this is Meadow Brook.” Fluttershy introduced. “He moved into Ponyville today and helped me out at the animal sanctuary. Meadow, this is my pet, Angel.” “Nice to meet you, little guy.” Meadow spoke softly as he held out his hoof and allowed the small white bunny to sniff it before nuzzling it with a smile. “Aww, I think he likes you.” Fluttershy smiled as Angel pulled away and nodded his head in confirmation. “Well, I hate to cut this visit so short, but I need to head back home and continue to unpack my things.” Meadow said as he turned to leave. “I hope I’ll see you soon, Fluttershy.” “Me too, I really appreciated your help today, Meadow.” Fluttershy waved at him before he trudged down the path and went back into Ponyville. As Meadow walked into town, he noticed that there were significantly less ponies out and about, which confused him. Earlier that day, the town was nearly crowded with tons of the residents present doing their own things, and now it seemed as if they were settling down for the night way earlier than usual. Meadow then spotted a large stage in front of town hall, which heightened his curiosity. Was the town about to have some kind of a political rally or a public performance? What was going on today that involved the lack of residents outside and a large stage in front of the town center? He then shrugged to himself and continued to his new home. He didn’t know much about Ponyville and did just move in today after all. Whistling to himself, he reached the outskirts suburbs and entered his home, determined to finish unpacking his stuff. Back at Fluttershy’s cottage, she was currently pulling out the mail from her mailbox when something caught her eye within the many letters and advertisements. She stepped back inside her home and placed the letters on the living room table as she picked up a pink envelope and opened it. Immediately afterwards, a small amount of confetti shot up from the torn hole as the yellow Pegasus pulled out a pink card and read it to herself. “In honor of meeting a brand new pony in Ponyville, I Pinkie Pie, invite you to my Welcome-To-Ponyville party in town square tonight at 7:00 sharp, so don’t be late.” Fluttershy closed the invitation and placed it on the table with a small smile. No doubt that the party was for Meadow Brook, maybe even Sunset Shimmer. “A party? Never been to one of those before.” a deep voice echoed throughout the living room as Discord materialized on the couch. “I hope they’re fun, especially this one.” “Discord, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what did you mean when you said you never been to a party before?” “Exactly that, Fluttershy. I’ve never been to a fun party that doesn’t involve formal wear and classical music like the Grand Galloping Gala but rather one of Pinkie’s.” Discord replied. “Plus, I found this little thing in my mailbox just a second ago.” He held out his lion paw as a card similar to the one she had materialized on it. “You received an invitation too? That’s so wonderful.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “Now we can go together.” “Oh I agree wholeheartedly. I hope the new pony in town is someone who appreciates my chaos, or at least likes to go pranking.” “I…don’t think that’ll be the case.” “How so?” Discord asked as he stuffed his invitation in a pocket in his chest fur. “It’s not like that ‘Welcome-To-Ponyville’ party is for Sunset Shimmer. That would’ve been done days ago, that’s for sure.” “Well, yes, but I think the party’s for Meadow Brook.” Discord raised an eyebrow at her. “You mean that stallion you met in the woods before the picnic?” “Maybe,” Fluttershy replied shyly. “It’s just a thought.” “Either way, I can’t wait to spend the evening being a party animal with you, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “Me too.” Fluttershy smiled back. “In that case, I must now take my leave. Ta ta for now.” and with that, Discord disappeared in a flash of light. A few hours later, the sun was setting with only a few minutes before 7 pm. Fluttershy fed all her animals and ensured that they were all settled down for the night before moving to the front door and opening it. Immediately afterwards, Discord teleported onto the welcome mat with confetti shooting behind him, causing the yellow Pegasus to jump with a surprised yelp. “I see you’re all ready to go.” The Draconequus smiled at her as he bowed and extended his lion paw. “Shall we, m’lady?” Despite feeling slightly shaken up from the scare, she couldn't help but giggle at his gentlecoltness as she placed her hoof in his paw and teleported with him into town square. Once they got there, they immediately noticed that all of Ponyville’s residents were all gathered around, chatting amongst themselves with music being played in the background. Fluttershy searched throughout the crowd until she spotted her friends closer to stage as she and Discord made their way over to them. The rest of the MANE 6, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunset Shimmer turned to see Fluttershy approaching them with Discord, much to everyone except Pinkie’s surprise. “Hey Fluttershy, glad you could make it.” Twilight smiled at her. “Good to see you as well, Discord.” she added, her smile becoming somewhat forced. “Why are you even here?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow in confusion. “I don’t remember you even being invited.” “Ah, but I was.” Discord said as he pulled out his invitation from his chest fur pocket. “See? And it’s not fake if that’s what you’re thinking.” “But still, why did you get an invitation?” Rarity asked. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but normally you’re not here with us whenever there’s a celebration.” “Oh, it’s because I figured that Discord deserved to be around us more often.” Pinkie replied. “After all, he did help Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax save everyone from the changelings.” “That is a good point.” Sunset nodded in understanding, knowing full well this was a form of gratitude. “Shouldn't somepony go and get the guest of honor?” Rainbow asked. “It’s all taken care of.” Pinkie said as she bounded up and down. “It took a while but I managed to find his house on the outskirts of Ponyville.” “How do you even know where he lives, let alone his gender?” Starlight asked. “I saw him earlier today with Fluttershy, and all I had to do was go to the house that was for sale and slip an invitation in the mailbox. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, and all we have to do is hide!” “But where can we hide?” Spike asked. “All the good hiding spots are full.” “‘Tis a simple solution, my little ponies.” Discord spoke up as he snapped his fingers, causing everyone to become transparent. “We’ll simply have to be invisible until our guest of honor shows up.” Everyone looked at themselves only to find out that they couldn’t see each other. It was a strange situation, but a short one at that. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Fluttershy said as she smiled at her chaotic friend, only to frown in confusion at the realization that she couldn’t see him. “Oh, right…I can’t see you.” she blushed in embarrassment, thankful that no one could see her red cheeks. “While I agree that invisibility will work out well, I highly doubt I’ll like seeing myself like this.” Rarity said as she looked down at her invisible self. “I miss seeing my mane already.” “It’s only temporary until the guest of honor gets here.” Discord said as he waved away her concern dismissively. “Besides, it’s either this or hide away with the other ponies and get all sorts of germs from them in an alley. The very idea of contracting the sweat and/or germs from the townsfolk caused a shiver of disgust to travel down her spine. “On second thought, remaining invisible for a short period of time sounds lovely.” The Draconequus bit back a small chuckle as he smirked in amusement. “Discord’s right, everyone. Anyway, I’ll go ahead and turn off the lights.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn and dimmed the spotlights that illuminated the town square to total darkness. Meadow Brook stepped out of his new home on the outskirts of Ponyville as he took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. The air was nice and fresh and lacked any foul stenching smells from deep within the Everfree Forest. As he looked around his fenced front lawn, he noticed a card wedged into the flag of his mailbox. He went over to it and pulled the card out as he opened it and read it. If you received this card, then you’re invited to a party in town square. It starts in a few minutes, so don’t be late. Meadow raised an eyebrow. A party was being held in the town in a few minutes and he just now received an invitation? That caused a wave of suspicion and confusion to wash over him. Nevertheless, he tucked the card back inside his mailbox as he made his way into Ponyville. The sun had set over the horizon and Princess Luna’s moon rose up into the cloud-free starry night sky. Meadow entered town square and looked around in confusion. The stage still stood in front of town hall but there wasn’t anypony around. It was calm and quiet like every town would be during the nighttime hours, but the invitation said that there was a party being held here and it would start soon. ‘This is probably a prank.’ Meadow thought as he turned to return to his home. Suddenly, bright lights turned on from out of nowhere and illuminated the entire area as a large banner dangled down from city hall as he looked up to see a written message on it. Welcome to Ponyville! Before he could contemplate on that, a bright flash of light flashed in front of him as every townsfolk of Ponyville including a purple dragon and a tall serpent-like dragon with mismatched body parts teleported in front of him. “SURPRISE!” Everyone shouted as Meadow jumped in surprise. He placed a hoof over his fastly beating heart as he looked around in confusion. Everyone was smiling at him as if he were one of the most important ponies in Equestria, further confusing him. “Um, what’s going on?” he asked as he furrowed a brow in confusion. “Why is everyone smiling to see me?” “Because, this is your Welcome-To-Ponyville party, and you’re the guest of honor!” a pink earth pony with a poofy pink mane and tail spoke up from the crowd as she bounced over to him. “Do you like surprise? Huh, huh, do you?” “Um, w-well…yes. It’s very welcoming.” “Great!” She turned to the stage. “DJpon3, drop the beat!” On stage, the said DJ nodded from her turn tables as she placed a music disk on the record player, causing upbeat party music to play as the other guests dispersed from their position and went to various locations across the town square. “Allow me to introduce myself.” the pink earth pony said as she placed a hoof on her chest. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, but you can call me Pinkie! I’m one of the bearers of the Element of Harmony, and I represent the Element of Laughter. I’m also the best party planner in Ponyville!” She spoke at an impossibly fast pace; it was difficult for the average pony to understand her, but Meadow managed to understand some of her monologue. “It’s nice to meet you.” he smiled at her. “I’ve actually heard a lot about you and your friends, including Fluttershy.” Pinkie gave him a suspicious look. “How do I know you’re not a spy here to doom all of Equestria, or Queen Chrysalis in a disguise?” “What? I’m not a spy.” Meadow said defensively. “I’m a regular Pegasus, and my name’s Meadow Brook.” Pinkie narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. “Oh relax, I’m only kidding. From what Fluttershy told us you’re a pretty nice and handsome guy!” The light brown Pegasus blushed slightly from the compliment. “Allow me to introduce the rest of Ponyville.” Pinkie zipped off as she pointed to the other residents of Ponyville. “This is Lyra Heartstrings, Bon-Bon, Derpy, Time Turner, Snips, Snails…” As Pinkie kept zipping around and pointed at the other guests, Twilight and her friends took advantage of their party companion and trotted up to Meadow. “Don’t mind Pinkie. She’s just happy that there’s a new face in town and wants you to have lots of friends.” Twilight said. “My name is-” “Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.” Meadow finished as he bowed. “I’m Meadow Brook. It’s a really big honor to meet you, your majesty.” “There’s no need to bow. I don’t do formalities, and you can call me Twilight.” “Oh, I-I’m terribly sorry, your highness, I mean, Twilight.” Meadow blushed as he rose to his full height. ”I’m now used to being around royalty, and I’m a little nervous.” “It’s alright.” Twilight giggled. “Anyway, these are my friends-” “Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and I already met Fluttershy.” he frowned as he looked at the three other ponies that were with the group. “Oh, these are my other friends; this is Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Flash Sentry.” Twilight added. “Wow, Fluttershy wasn’t kidding when she said you were her fan., but I never thought you would hear about the rest of us.” Rainbow said as she flew up to him and held out her hoof. “Good to see you, Meadow.” “Same here.” Meadow smiled as they shook hooves. “I too wish to extend a welcome to you, darling.” Rarity smiled sweetly at him. “Howdy, sugar cube.” Applejack tipped her hat. “It’s great to see you again, Meadow.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “Welcome to Ponyville.” Spike said as he went up to him and held out his claw. Despite feeling a little shy around the others, Meadow couldn’t help but feel a little excited to meet the Number 1 assistant of the Princess of Friendship. “It’s an honor to meet you, Oh Great and Honorable Spike The Brave and Glorious.” Spike shook his hoof with an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched his head. “I take it you’ve heard of my heroic deeds in the Crystal Empire, haven’t you?” “How could I not?” Meadow smiled at him. “You did save it from King Sombra and again during the Equestria games. It’s not every day we see a dragon become a hero.” “I most certainly agree.” Rarity said as she trotted up to Spike’s side and smiled sweetly at him. “While it’s not common a dragon would save us ponies from danger, Spikey-wikey here proved the opposite, and I find that to be very impressive.” She batted her eyelashes at him as he blushed a shade of red. “...Bulk Biceps, Berry Punch, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Pipsqueak, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike!” Pinkie reappeared as she finished introducing everyone. “Did I forget anypony?” “Ya forgot us.” Meadow turned to see 3 fillies trotting up to him. “Oh yeah.” Pinkie nodded in realization. “Sorry.” “Applebloom. I thought I told you to stay back at home and rest your hoof.” Applejack scolded with a stern frown. “I was, but Granny looked at it and said that it was good enough for me to come to the party, so here I am.” Applebloom said before turning to the guest of honor with a smile. “But anyway, my name’s Applebloom, and these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Together, we’re known as…” “The Cutie Mark Crusader!” The trio cheered in unison. “It’s nice to meet you three, I’m Meadow Brook.” he smiled. “So what is it that the Cutie Mark Crusaders do to help other ponies your age get their cutie marks?” “We’re on a crusade to help blank flanks find their cutie marks!” Scootaloo answered. “No matter the weather…” “...Whether it’s rain, snow, hail, sleet, or shine…”Sweetie Belle added. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are on the case!” Applebloom concluded as the trio shared a high-five. “I see.” Meadow nodded in understanding. “So what have you done so far to help other blank flanks get their cutie marks?” “Well, a new student in our school named Spotlight loves acting, so we asked our teacher Miss Cheerilee to allow her to write a school play, and she said yes.” “Really? What’s the play gonna be about?” “It’s a superhero space adventure drama.” Applebloom replied. “Our class has been rehearsing for over a month, and tomorrow’s opening night.” “It’s true.” Applejack added in agreement. “We’ve already gotten our tickets.” “I hope I can get my own ticket,” said Meadow. “Tickets are still on sale until tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll have enough time to get one before the show,” said Sweetie Belle. “That’s good to hear.” Sunset spoke up. “I’m kind of interested in seeing your show as well.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders turned to her in confusion, not at all recognizing her. “Uh, who are you?” asked Applebloom. “Oh, I’m Sunset Shimmer. I’m friends with Twilight and I-” “Came here for a week's vacation.” Twilight interrupted her as she teleported to Sunset’s side. “She’s a teacher in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and recently got permission to come here and make some friends. After all, there’s more to life than teaching students and reading books. Right, Sunset?” The yellow unicorn raised an eyebrow in confusion at her as Twilight nudged her in the arm with a forced cough. It took Sunset a moment to realize what she was getting at as she nodded in agreement with a forced smile. “Y-yeah, I am. And Ponyville sure is nice and peaceful compared to Canterlot.” she said with a small chuckle. The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t seem to suspect the little fib as they smiled at her. “Well, it’s good that you’re taking a break from teaching,” said Applebloom. “We hope you enjoy your time here in Ponyville.” “Us too.” Scootaloo added in agreement. “Come on girls, let’s dance!” “Yeah!” The trio scampered off to the dancefloor as Twilight sighed with relief. “What was that all about?” Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry about that, Sunset, but I didn’t want them to know that you’re from the other world.” Twilight explained. “Why not? I’m sure they’d understand, right?” “Yeah, but what if they got too curious and wound up going into the portal in my library?” Twilight explained. “Or worse, what if they got stuck in another universe and couldn’t return?” “No argument there.” Sunset nodded. “Better safe than sorry.” “I agree.” a voice echoed in the air. “Then again, what’s wrong with adventuring at a young age?” “Discord, get your rump out here and say hi to the guest of honor.” Applejack called into the air. “It ain’t nice to do that.” “No need to shout, Applejack.” the said Draconequus said from behind Meadow, causing him to jump in surprise. “I’m not that rude, you know.” He bent down to Meadow’s eye level with a toothy grin. “Discord, reformed spirit of chaos and disharmony, at your service.” “You’re not that reformed.” Rainbow muttered under her breath. Discord gasped with mock hurt as he rose to his full height. “Why Rainbow Dash, how utterly rude of you to say such a thing. I most certainly am reformed, and I’m quite the angel if I do say so myself.” His mismatched wings became large angel wings as a hollow materialized above his head. “See? Like this.” Fluttershy placed a hoof to her mouth with a giggle as the other rolled their eyes. “Whatever.” Discord shrugged as his wings returned to normal and the hollow disappeared as his attention returned to the light brown pegasus stallion in front of him. “Anyway, let me extend my most humble welcome to Ponyville.” “I-It’s nice to meet you too.” Meadow said nervously. “Is it true that you can make it rain chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds?” “Oh, you should’ve seen what I did back in my reign! Making it rain my favorite drink is one of my many childsplay talents.” Discord grinned toothily. “I can show you if you want.” “U-um…well, I uh…” The Draconequus bursted into laughter. “Oh I’m just kidding, m’boy. You really need to have more fun in life, you know that?” “I-I do, but-” “Don’t mind Discord.” Fluttershy said as she went up to Meadow’s side. “He’s just happy that you’re here.” “But of course.” Discord said in agreement, emphasizing how obvious it was despite growing suspicion inside him. “After all, me and my boys are looking for new members to our O&O game.” “Ogres and Oubliettes?” Meadow guessed. A bell dinged from out of nowhere. “He is correct!” Discord proudly proclaimed. “Enough with all this chit-chat. Let’s party!” said Pinkie as she bounded over to the dance floor. The other turned and followed her as Meadow Brook followed them. “Before you go any further, Meadow, I wish to have a word with you.” He froze in his tracks as he turned back to Discord nervously. “W-what about?” “Nothing serious, just a quick word with you before we get our party hats on.” Discord said as they teleported over to a house not too far away from the town square. “So, I heard that you’re a big fan of my dear friend Fluttershy. Is that correct?” Meadow nodded in reply, too nervous to say anything. “It’s no surprise. Fluttershy is one of the heroes of harmony, after all, and she seems to be good friends with you already.” “Well, we do have things in common, such as our love for animals.” Meadow said nervously. Discord narrowed his eyes at him for a second before smiling. “Oh don’t be so nervous, lad. I can tell that you’re a trustworthy stallion and Fluttershy seems to like you already.” his expression became serious. “However, let me go ahead and warn you, and I’ll only say this once, so listen very closely.” he said in a low warning tone as he leaned in to whisper in Meadow’s ear. “If you do anything against Fluttershy, no matter how small it is, I won’t hesitate to use my magic on you. Fluttershy trusts you fully, so you’d better not betray her.” Meadow gulped as Discord pulled away, knowing without a doubt he was dead serious. “Y-you have my word, Discord. I won’t betray Fluttershy’s trust.” “Good.” The Draconequus nodded before brightening his expression with a smile. “Oh come on, Meadow. I know you’ll maintain Fluttershy’s trust, I just couldn’t resist scaring you a little.” The light brown Pegasus let out a nervous chuckle. “I see.” “Yes well, let us return to the party. Those groove things won’t groove themselves.” Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them back to the party as Pinkie bounced over to them. “There you both are! I was wondering where you went.” she said. “It’s time for you to make your appearance on stage, Meadow.” “W-what?” Meadow widened his eyes in surprise. “Me? On stage? In front of everyone here?” “Yup, but don’t worry, I’ll be right next to you.” “Well…if you say so.” “Great!” Pinkie grinned as she dragged him onto the stage and tapped the microphone on a free microphone stand, causing the music to stop and everyone to turn to the stage. “Good evening, everypony!” Pinkie said into the microphone. “Are you having the time of your lives?” The audience gave a round of applause and cheers in reply. “Great! All of you are wondering who the new resident of Ponyville is, and he’s standing right here right next to me. Citizens of Ponyville, let’s give a warm welcome to our new friend: Meadow Brook!” There was another wave of cheers from the crowd as Meadow shyly waved to the crowd. “And that’s not all, there’s another new pony visiting us right now and she’s standing next to Twilight. Let’s all give a round of applause to sunset Shimmer! Everyone turned to the yellow unicorn and applauded at her as she waved at them with a smile Meadow watched the small gesture before he felt a tap on his shoulder “Go on and make a speech.” Pinkie whispered in his ear as she moved the microphone in front of him. “What? What should I say?” he asked desperately, finding the situation to be very uncomfortable. “Just tell them about yourself and where you came from.” Meadow gulped as he cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. “G-good evening, everypony. As you already know, my name is Meadow Brook and I moved here to Ponyville from my old home back in Whinnyapolis and will now work at the animal clinic here. You all seem really nice and I can’t wait to make some friends in the future.” he took a pause. “A-and that is all. I hope you all enjoy the party.” Everyone gave a round of cheers once more as he backed away from the microphone, his heart was beating hard in his chest from just how nerve wracking that was. “Thanks for the speech, Meadow!” Pinkie said as she stepped back in front of the microphone. “Anyhow, let’s return to the party and have lots and lots of fun!” The music started back up and all the party guests returned to their conversations and/or game playing as Pinkie and Meadow stepped off the stage and returned to the group. “You see? That wasn’t so bad, right?” she asked him. “I suppose not.” he replied, still feeling a little shaken up. Meadow Brook sat on the side and took a sip of a cup of party punch as he let out a relaxed sigh. Despite this being a little more attention than what he expected, he was enjoying himself as well as spending time with Fluttershy and her friends. It felt good hanging out with one of Equestria’s most famous celebrities as well as speaking with them, including Fluttershy. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he was beginning to like her and her friends. “Meadow?” He looked to see the heroic yellow pegasus that he adored fluttering up to him with a smile. “Are you enjoying yourself?” “Oh yes. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun.” Meadow replied as he looked over at the dance floor to see Discord and Pinkie having a dance off. “But why aren’t you with your friends? Aren’t you having fun as well?” “I am, Pinkie’s parties are always so much fun, I just find it to be much more comfortable to stand away from the loud music.” Fluttershy replied as she sat down next to him. “I do as well. I haven’t really been to a party like this in a long time, so it’s only natural that I’d feel a little nervous around a lot of guests.” “I understand.” Fluttershy nodded. “I felt the same way when I moved here.” “What was that like?” Fluttershy let out a nostalgic sigh. “I remember it so well. I was super shy when I met Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie, but they were really nice once I got to know them. They even built me my cottage as a welcoming present and I’ve been living here ever since.” She looked at him with curiosity. “What about you? Do you have any friends?” Meadow’s smile fell as he let out a sigh. “I don’t have any friends.” “Oh no, why not?” “I was really scared of the other kids my age and got teased for liking animals and being socially awkward. It made me feel like I was an outcast and I didn’t like it, I still don’t.” “Oh Meadow, I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Fluttershy said sympathetically. “If it makes you feel any better, I got teased too.” “You did?” Meadow asked with surprise, clearly not knowing this until now. “I was super shy when I was little and couldn’t fly correctly. When I was in the Cloudsdale Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp, the colts and fillies there would always make fun of me. Rainbow Dash was there and defended my honor countless times, but that didn’t stop the teasing.” Meadow looked at her with sympathy before smiling. “I guess we’re more alike than we thought, huh?” “I guess so.” Fluttershy nodded. “But after I met my friends, I was introduced to so many more opportunities that I never thought I could do before. I became less afraid and more brave, and I feel more good about myself than ever before.” “What about Discord? What was it like befriending him?” The yellow Pegasus let out a giggle. “That was one of the hardest days I’ve ever experienced.” She explained what happened that day when Princess Celestia tasked her to reformed the recently defeated spirit of chaos and disharmony as Meadow listened intently. “After Discord and I became friends, we began to have weekly tea parties at my cottage and became closer after each meeting.” she smiled over at Discord, who was currently drinking the entire lemonade bowl gulp by gulp. “He may not show it, but Discord’s really sweet once you get to know him.” “Wow, and I thought your heroism alone was impressive, but reforming Discord? You’re even more impressive than I thought, Fluttershy.” said Meadow as he smiled at her. “Oh, I’m not that impressive.” Fluttershy blushed slightly. “I’m just a regular pony like everyone else.” “That’s true, but how many mares do you see save Equestria several times and are friends with a former villain? Can’t get any cooler than that.” “Do…do you really think I’m cool?” “Fluttershy, you’re the coolest pony I’ve ever met next to Rainbow Dash.” Meadow said honestly. “And I would be honored to be friends with you, especially your friends.” She smiled back at him. “I’d like that.” They continued to sit with each other and gaze at the party as Meadow scooted closer to her and smiled at her. Fluttershy smiled back at him as they smiled at each other for a moment before looking back at the party. What neither of them knew was that they were being watched from afar. Discord stood next to the snack table and looked over at them with narrowed eyes. He noticed how close they were together and he didn’t like one bit. A low growl rumbled within his throat as he gulped down his lemonade whole and ate his cup. He had to get them to stop, for Fluttershy’s sake anyway. He teleported in front of them, startling them in the process as he grinned at them like he would normally smile. “Hello, my little ponies. Enjoying the party?” “We are.” Fluttershy replied. “What about you?” “I find Pinkie’s party better than any kind of celebration I would throw.” he looked at Meadow and maintained a smile on his lips. “What about you, m’boy? Finding the fun bash enjoyable?” “Oh yes, I feel right at home already.” the light brown Pegasus replied. He turned to smile at Fluttershy as she smiled back, both seeming to forget who was standing right before them. Discord felt his eyebrows tremble with the urge to narrow together as he teleported between the two Pegasi and sat down. “Sorry if I’m intruding, but I wanted to spend time with my favorite pony.” He grinned at Fluttershy as she looked up at him for a moment before smiling. “I’d like that.” she said. “I should go ahead and leave you both alone.” Meadow said as he stood up. “Meadow, wait. You don’t have to leave just to leave me and Discord to ourselves.” Fluttershy protested. “Please, stay with us.” “Fluttershy’s right. Sit back down and relax.” Discord added in agreement, even though he wanted the light brown Pegasus to leave very badly. “It’s okay, I need to get home and get some shut-eye anyway. I hope I’ll see you tomorrow for the play.” “I wouldn’t miss it.” Meadow Brook turned and went to say goodnight to the rest of her friends as Discord looked down at his one and only friend with a raised eyebrow in curiosity. “Play? What play?” “Oh, I nearly forgot. The schoolhouse is having a play tomorrow evening and me and my friends are going to go and see it.” “Sounds fun.” Discord commented as he watched Meadow Brook walk away from the MANE 6 and towards the outskirts. The Draconequus narrowed his eyes at Meadow for a second before a light bulb flashed above his head before flashing away. “I’ll go with you.” Discord said suddenly. “What?” Fluttershy looked at him in slight surprise. “I’ll go to that play with you. I have been meaning to see something entertaining for a while.” “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to bore yourself for a few hours with me.” Discord chuckled as he patted his Pegasus friend on the head. “Fluttershy, nothing we do together bores me. Besides, maybe a play run by a bunch of foals might be delightfully hilarious.” “Well…If you’re sure.” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “I won’t stop you.” she smiled up at him. “Splendid!” the Draconequus grinned as he summoned a glass of punch and sipped the red liquid. His ears perked up when he heard a soft yawn beside him as he turned and looked down to see the yellow Pegasus rubbing her eyes. “Oh dear, all the work at the animal sanctuary must’ve taken more of my energy than I thought.” she said. “Meadow helped me earlier today to make the work a little easier, but it was still a lot, and I feel a little exhausted.” “Say no more, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “Allow me to take you home.” “No thank you, I’m okay.” Fluttershy declined politely. “I can party a little while longer.” “Are you sure? You seem like you’re running low on power.” A battery with a power meter materialized in front of her as it signaled low energy within her before disappearing. “I appreciate it, but I’m fine.” Fluttershy smiled at the Lord of Chaos. “Let’s get back to the party.” Discord looked at her for a moment before shrugging in defeat. “As you wish.” He teleported them back to the party as they continued to enjoy themselves immensely. They played some of the provided games, chatted with Fluttershy’s friends, and danced on the dance floor together. As they sat at one of the tables, Fluttershy felt her eyelids droop as she let out a yawn, causing Discord to chuckle. “Looks like now’s a better time to turn in.” “Oh, n-no, I’m fine.” the pink-haired Pegasus protested as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m just a little…” a yawn escaped her mouth before she could stop it. “There’s no use hiding it, is there?” “Not one bit.” “Can I say goodnight to my friends first?” Before Discord could reply, another yawn escaped her mouth as he stood up and scooped her up into his arms. “While I would never object to letting you do what you want, I feel now is a better time than ever to take you home and tuck you in your bed.” “You don’t have to do that, Discord.” Fluttershy smiled tiredly at him. She didn’t want to burden him out of her own tiredness, but the feelings of his fur against her seemed to lully her into relaxation as she let out another yawn. The Draconequus smiled down at her and teleported them into her bedroom back at her cottage as he pulled back the covers and laid her down gently. He placed his eagle claw against her cheek and lightly scratched it as she closed her eyes with a moan and leaned into the feeling with a smile. He felt tempted to kiss her on the forehead like a father kissing his daughter goodnight, but shook off the appalling thought. For a soul as kind as Fluttershy’s would never allow such a thing. Discord heard soft snoring as he looked to see the butter yellow Pegasus mare had fallen asleep. Resisting the urge to chuckle softly, he slowly pulled his claw away and pulled the covers over her small body. Fluttershy turned to her left side and nuzzled into her pillow with a small sigh. “Sleep well, my dear.” Discord whispered in her ear as he soundlessly disappeared back to the party, leaving the yellow Pegasus to her beauty sleep. To be continued… Author's Note Sorry for the long wait and shorter chapter, hope you enjoyed it and see you in chapter 4! 😀 Let me know if I made any errors! Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 4Discord poofed into his bedroom back in his castle as he let out a yawn and stretched his arms. He had spent another 4 hours at the welcoming party in Ponyville town square, playing games and pranking some of the other ponies. The party ended at around midnight and the Draconequus was more than willing to return to his chaotic mansion to get a good night's rest as well as sleep the next morning away. He teleported into his bedroom bathroom and snapped up some warm bubbly water in the bathtub as he slithered into the water and poked his head out before resting it on the other end and letting out a relaxed sigh. It was a shame that Fluttershy grew tired and he had to take her back home and tuck her into her bed, not like he had a problem with that anyway, but he really wanted to spend the entire evening and play more games with her. It was good that Meadow Brook left when he did. Discord’s smile fell as he thought about the light brown Pegasus stallion. He didn’t really like him, mainly because Meadow seemed to be close to Fluttershy already and gained her trust super easily without any struggles. If both Pegasus kept seeing each other more and more often, they would grow closer and closer. They might even develop feelings for each other and spend the rest of their lives together. Discord huffed out a scoff through his nose. There was no way that Fluttershy would ever want to have feelings for a stallion like Meadow Brook, now when there were other stallions out there. You know what they say; there are plenty of fish in the sea. The very thought of Fluttershy dating another stallion didn't sit well in his mind. Discord let out a sigh. It was clear that the party had taken a toll on his mental state and needed to get to bed as soon as possible. After scrubbing himself clean, he got out of the tub and shook the water off his body like a dog before draining the water and rubbing a large towel to dry his fur. He teleported underneath the covers on his bed and rested his head on the pillows as he closed his eyes, determined to rid himself of the jealous thoughts that filled his mind. Discord found himself sitting on the ground on a picnic blanket as he heard soft and sweet laughter from his left. He turned to see none other than his best friend Fluttershy giggling at a group of singing Ginseng floating in front of her singing a silly yet pleasing tune. “Oh Discord, the Ginseng are so funny.” she said. “Why thank you,” the Draconequus smiled with pride. “There’s nothing better than hearing your lovely laugh.” She turned away to hide her pink cheeks as Discord reached down and lightly ran his eagle claw over her back, causing her to turn and look up at him. “Sorry,” he pulled away with guilt. “I just thought that you’d like it.” “I didn’t say you had to stop.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “It felt really nice to have your hand stroke my back like that.” “Really?” “Mmm-hmm.” she leaned against his side. “So go ahead. Keep stroking me, I won’t mind.” Discord reluctantly placed his eagle claw back on her back and lightly stroked it as she closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure, causing a smile of his own to form on his lips. He wished this moment with her would never end. “Fluttershy!” Both of them turned to see Meadow Brook rushing towards them as he skidded to a stop in front of them. “Meadow!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she looked at him in concern. “What’s wrong?” “It’s Angel, he’s hurt.” Meadow replied. “I caught him trying to steal some carrots for his lunch in the supply shed, but as he jumped for the shelf, he misjudged his trajectory and broke his leg.” She gasped. “Oh no. Angel!” she turned back to her Draconequus companion. “Discord, I’m sorry to cut our picnic so short, but Angel needs me. I hope you’re not too upset.” Despite feeling disappointed, he successfully managed a smile upon his expression. “Not at all, my dear.” he lied. “Don’t let me get in the way of you doing what needs to be done.” She smiled at him. “Thank you. I hope we can have another picnic another time.” “Of course. Some other time.” The two pegasai rushed off as Discord’s smile fell. He felt a pang of sadness as he watched them rush off into the distance, now missing Fluttershy’s presence as if she’d been away on a week-long mission. Suddenly, thick white fog blew in from out of nowhere as Discord looked around in confusion. ‘Where did this fog come from?’ he thought to himself as he stood up and flew off in the direction Fluttershy went, feeling as if she was in danger. “Fluttershy?” he called out into the thickness. “Fluttershy!” No response came back to him and he couldn’t hear any galloping. Worry filled his mind as he attempted to teleport into the location where Fluttershy would likely be, but to find not a single trace of her. “Fluttershy! Where are you?” Discord yelled out into the air. “Come on, my dear, this isn’t a funny prank.” What if Meadow Brook got her in danger and didn’t save her? The very thought sent a rocket of anger and fear through him as he yelled out with all his strength. “Fluttershy!” he shouted to the heavens. “FLUTTERSHY!!!” Discord bolted up with a gasp and opened his eyes as he panted deeply, finding himself back in his bedroom. He glanced over at his alarm clock, to which he begrudgingly replaced last night, which said that it was only a few minutes past three in the morning. Relief washed over him. It was only a dream, plain and simple, which meant that Fluttershy was safely in her cottage fast asleep. Discord should’ve felt even more relief, but the images from his dream were still fresh in his mind. His mind began to fill with images of Meadow Brook luring her away from him and purposefully getting her into danger, causing a new wave of fear, worry, and anger to well up within the Draconequus. He let out an annoyed huff as he laid back down and pulled the covers over his body. He could see that Meadow wasn’t ever going to do anything against Fluttershy, yet the possibility of him doing that behind his and her friends’ backs still felt unsetting. One thing was for sure; he didn’t at all like Meadow Brook nor trust him, and that’s how things were gonna stay. By daylight late the next morning, Discord awoke with a moan as he opened his eyes halfway and glanced at his clock, which thankfully didn’t go off. 12:47 pm He successfully managed to sleep in, yet still felt tired and dreary as he sat up and stretched his arms with a yawn. He teleported into his bathroom and brushed his teeth (which would surely impress Fluttershy) before teleporting into the kitchen and snapping up a bowl that contained yesterday's newspaper. Discord normally didn’t eat paper, but only did it to creep ponies out as well as mess with them, but now he was in the mood for something that wasn’t food, and the Foal-Free Press was on his menu. As he ate his meal, his thoughts drifted off to the dreams he had after waking up in the middle of the night. They were about when he was freely relaxing on a cotton candy cloud high above Ponyville when he spotted Fluttershy and Meadow Brook taking a stroll together, seemingly oblivious to the Lord of Chaos’s presence. He had made himself invisible and soundlessly teleported down to them as he watched the two pegasai conversating together with smiles on their faces, which irked him with disgust. He wanted to interrupt them, but chose not to in hopes to not be accused of spying. Discord let out a sigh as he realized how ridiculous he was acting. It was the Tree Hugger incident all over again. He had learned his lesson that time, especially after Fluttershy yelled at him. It was okay for her to have more than one friend, and he didn’t have to get upset over it. ‘But what if Meadow gets too close to her and they fall in love?’ an unsettling thought whispered in his mind. Discord shook his head and scooped another mouthful of paper into his mouth. He shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts when he should be eating his breakfast. Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure Meadow wasn’t with Fluttershy, just to be safe. Gulping down the rest of his paper salad, Discord teleported to Fluttershy’s cottage and looked around for her, only to find the house empty. He then teleported to Sweet Feather Sanctuary and smiled once he found the yellow Pegasus sitting in an open area, only to frown to see who was with her. It was him. Meadow Brook sat next to her as they conversed together, clearly taking a break from what Discord could tell from his point of view. Nevertheless, he needed to step in and put an abrupt halt on this. He slithered through the grass and stopped behind Fluttershy as Meadow turned to look at him and jumped in surprise. “Meadow, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked with concern. “Is there someone behind me?” “Yes.” a familiar voice spoke up from behind her as she turned around and jumped with a yelp, surprised to see none other than the spirit of chaos and disharmony standing directly behind her. “Why hello, Fluttershy!” Discord said cheerfully as he scooped her up into a hug not once glancing at Meadow,. “It’s so good to see my most favorite pony and best friend in the entire universe!” “Discord…I’m glad to…see you too,” Fluttershy gasped, wincing from how tight he was hugging her. “Can you please…put me down?” “Oh alright.” Discord placed her down as moved himself between her and Meadow Brook and sat down. “So, Fluttershy. What have you been up to so far today?” “Not much. Just tasks across the animal sanctuary.” she replied. “Meadow’s been helping out again with some of the harder tasks.” “Oh really?” the Draconequus turned to the light brown pegasus with a raised eyebrow. “And just what have you been doing, M’boy?” “Oh.” Meadow smiled, eager to show his happiness at working with the animals. “I helped Fluttershy feed the bunnies, gave a black cat a vaccine, gave a couple of the ferrets their baths, and I even gave Harry the bear a massage.” Discord was impressed, much to his surprise. He thought Meadow would’ve been struggling a little bit, but found that he was doing fine without struggle. “What about you, Discord?” Fluttershy got his attention as he looked down at her. “What have you been up to?” “Same response as you, my dear. I just had breakfast and decided to come and check up on you.” “Why? Is there something wrong?” “What? No, no, not at all!” Discord replied, noticing the concern etched onto her face. “I just…wanted to tell you that I’m going to purchase a ticket for the play tonight!” he quickly added, hoping to ease her worries. It seemed to do the trick as she smiled at him. “That’s wonderful.” “I know.” he turned to look at Meadow Brook. “And I’ll even take you with me.” “W-what?” the light brown Pegasus stammered in surprise with widened eyes. “I’m going to take you and buy you a ticket while I buy one of my own.” Discord simplified. “And if we go right now we can beat the line at the ticket booth.” “Now? Are you sure we’ve got enough time to get tickets and get back in time for me to continue with my tasks?” “But of course. Besides, I can easily stop time and you won’t miss even a quadrillionth of a second.” the Draconequus turned to the yellow Pegasus on his other side. “Would it be alright if I stole Meadow from you for a few minutes, Fluttershy? We’ll be back faster than you can say ‘Draconequus’ a million times fast.” Fluttershy put her hoof to her chin in thought before smiling at him. “I don’t see why not, so long as Meadow returns immediately after getting hiss ticket.” “Splendid!” Discord cheered as he scooped Meadow into his lion arm and teleported them in front of the Ponyville schoolhouse before placing the light brown Pegasus back on his hooves. “Now, if I were a ticket booth, where would I be?” “Um, over there?” Meadow pointed to a small wooden stand along the path that led from Ponyville up to the schoolhouse. “Oh, right.” Discord muttered as he teleported them both in front of the stand and dinged the bell on the desktop. When nopony heard it and ran up to the desk, he dinged the bell again, only to wind up with the same results. Discord sighed with annoyance as he folded his arms and thumped his lizard foot impatiently. “We don’t have all day.” “Maybe the teacher of this school runs the ticket booth.” Meadow suggested. “He or she’s probably occupied with teaching the students.” “Perhaps.” Suddenly, the sound of the school bell ringing could be heard as the boys looked to see the students of the schoolhouse exiting and rushing over to the playground. “Play nicely together!” a female voice called from inside the building as the school teacher, Miss Cheerilee, stepped out and noticed two figures standing in front of the ticket booth, one being the new pony she saw at Pinkie’s party last night and Discord. Surprise and curiosity got the better of her as she trotted down to the ticket stand and smiled at the two potential ticket purchasers. “Hi there. Are you interested in seeing tonight's school play in Town Hall?” she said casually, hiding her surprise at seeing the Lord of Chaos at the ticket stand. “Um…y-yes we are.” Meadow replied shyly. “How much are they?” “Tickets are five bits each.” Cheerilee replied as a pile of ten bits materialized on the table top, surprising her. “I’m paying for our tickets.” Discord said with a casual smile. “No harm in that, right?” “Well, not that I know of. I just never thought you’d be interested in seeing a play, Discord.” The dark purple earth pony mare finally voiced her surprise. “I know, but I’m curious about whatever amusing thing might happen.” he held out his eagle claw. “So how about those tickets?” Cheerilee looked at him for a moment before shrugging and placing the money inside a bag as she placed the tickets on the table top. “There you go.” “Thank you.” Meadow smiled gratefully at her as he and Discord took their tickets. “You’re welcome.” Cheerilee smiled back as she went back inside the schoolhouse. “See you boys tonight.” “We’ll be there!” Discord called after her as he teleported himself and Meadow Brook back to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, finding Fluttershy in the exact same spot she was sitting. “So how did it go?” she asked. Discord held out his lion paw and showed the bronze ticket. “I’ll be seeing you tonight, my dear.” “I got my ticket as well.” Meadow said as he held out his left wing, showing his own ticket. “Oh, that’s so wonderful.” Fluttershy smiled. “I can’t wait until tonight.” “Me neither.” said Discord as he teleported his ticket back to his home. “Now, I hate to cut this meeting short, but I must return home. I hope I didn’t offend you, Fluttershy.” “It’s okay, Discord.” she smiled at him as she flew up and embraced him. “I’ll see you tonight.” “Ta-ta for now, my sweet.” he murmured in her ear before placing her down as he teleported back to his castle. Upon returning, he began to think about the situation he just found himself in. He bought a ticket to a school play, not just to see the amusing young actors, but to keep an eye on Meadow Brook. Discord still didn’t trust the light brown Pegasus and felt as if his instincts were kicking in, telling him that the stallion was probably someone else with a different motive. What was Meadow up to, and what did he want with Fluttershy? Discovering that worrying over something extremely unlikely, the Draconequus teleported into a large room filled to the brim with electric massaging chairs and sat down, feeling the electric massagers pressing into his leg, tail, and arm muscles, letting out a relaxed sigh. “That’s better.” Discord mumbled, deciding to now spend the rest of the afternoon up until the show to relax in this exact chair. Whatever suspicions or doubts he had about Meadow Brook melted away as he closed his eyes and let out a cat-like purr. Spike stepped into Carousel Boutique as he closed the door behind him and went upstairs, knocking on the door to Rarity’s room. “Come in!” the prim and proper unicorn mare called from the other side. He opened the door and entered her bedroom/workshop as he looked to see her sitting at her work desk with a frustrated expression. “Uh Rarity? Are you alright?” he asked with concern as he cautiously approached her. She turned to look at him and managed a small smile. “Hello, Spike. To be honest, I’m in a spot of bother.” “What’s wrong?” he asked as he came up to her side. “You do know that tonight is Sweetie Belle and her classmate’s play, right?” The purple dragon nodded in response, choosing to wait until she finished to say anything. “Well, I’m struggling in making masks for the Cutie Mark Crusaders superhero costumes. I need red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink fabric. The only problem is that I don’t have any and I’ve looked all over my home.” “Do you want me to go and get some more for you?” Spike asked. “I appreciate it, darling, but I feel as if there’s still some more fabric here in the boutique that I overlooked.” “I’d be happy to go and look for it for you.” Rarity smiled at him. “I would be most grateful if you did.” “I’ll be right back.” he said boldly as he marched out of the room and went up to the supply closet in the hallway. He opened the double doors and searched throughout the many towels, bedsheets, and other items for any form of clothing fabric, but found none. He closed the door and went down the upstairs hall until he came across a pair of stairs that led up, much to his surprise. He never saw them before, but felt as if they would help him. Spike went up the stairs until he came across a door that probably led to the attic. He tried to twist the doorknob, but found that the door was locked. ‘I won’t fail her.’ he thought determinedly as he looked down at the mat in front of the door and lifted it up, finding a small wooden door beneath it. He lifted it up and was glad to find a key safely stored away inside of the small crevice as he pulled it out and closed the small wooden door. He placed the mat back on the ground and placed the key inside the key hole as he twisted it, causing the door to unlock. With a silent cheer to himself, Spike opened the door and stepped into the attic of Carousel Boutique. It had many cobwebs and boxes stored about and a couple of skylights in the roof illuminating the attic. Spike trekked across the wooden floor and spotted something that seemed to stand out from everything else. He went up to a wooden chest over in a corner and opened it, immediately being welcomed by a large cloud of dust. He turned away and coughed as he waved away the dust before turning and looking inside the chest, eyes widening slightly in surprise before smiling with triumph. Many rolls of fabric that were different colors resided inside the chest. On top of them was an old and moldy piece of paper that caught Spike’s curiosity as he picked it up and read it aloud. “To our wonderful daughter, Rarity. From your loving parents.” He lowered the note and looked back inside the chest. ‘Did Rarity’s parents leave these for her?’ It was a possible and apparently obvious act of generosity. Nevertheless, he picked up the chest and hauled it out the attic as he used his tail and closed the door before slowly going down the stairs. He went back to Rarity’s room and opened the door using his tail. “Where did you get that?” Rarity asked in surprise and curiosity. “I found this up in the attic.” Spike replied as he went up to her and placed the chest down on the ground next to the work desk. “And that’s not even the best part.” He opened the lid as Rarity looked inside and gasped in surprise. “I had no idea these were ever here.” she uttered in disbelief. “That’s because of this.” Spike said as he pulled out the note and handed it to her. She lit up her horn and levitated it in front of her as she read it aloud. “To our wonderful daughter, Rarity. From your loving parents.” She levitated the note onto her work desk as she began to process what she just discovered. Her parents had left her this chest full of fabric some time ago in the attic as a surprise gift. This wasn't at all bad. In fact, it was far from it. A grin spread across her features as she squealed in happiness. “Oh this is wonderful! Now I can finish the costumes!” “Um, y-yeah.” Spike nodded in agreement, feeling his heart skip a beat slightly at her happiness. “I’ll have the superhero masks done in no time!” Rarity said with bold determination as she immediately began sewing. Spike took the opportunity to sit on the bed as he let out a sigh. Lifting the chest was slightly hard, but found that pleasing the Element of Generosity to be worth it. “Done!” He looked up in surprise. “Wow, that was fast.” “It certainly was.” Rarity said with pride as the purple dragon came up to her desk and looked at her newly created masks. The first mask was orange with purple wings at both edges, the second one was sparkly with pink surrounded by purple that curved up at the two sides, and the third mask was red surrounded by yellow with lightning bolts on it. “Wow, these are really cool.” Spike said as Rarity smiled with pride. “Indeed they are.” she said. “Sweetie Belle provided me with the ideas for her and her classmate’s costumes, and I naturally made them with no struggle at all.” “Cool.” Spike smiled at her. “Do you want me to take the masks to the stage?” “Actually, I feel it’s best if we both go.” Rarity said as she stood up from her stool and pushed it underneath her work desk. “I have been meaning to check up on the costumes for a while.” “Well then, shall we?” he bowed and held out his claw She giggled at him and stood up as they exited her room and went out before stepping out of Carousel Boutique. “So where’s the stage?” Spike asked. “I don’t remember seeing it at the schoolhouse.” “That’s because it’s in Town Hall due to the rainstorm that’s supposed to come by later tonight.” Rarity explained. “Now to mention it was cheaper and more comfortable.” “I can certainly understand that.” They made their way into town square and entered town hall as Spike looked over at the stage on the far side of the foyer. “Wow, I nearly forgot that stage still existed.” Spike said as he and the white unicorn mare next to him went up the small steps and behind the curtains, which were installed a few weeks ago. Once they reached backstage, Rarity lit up her horn and turned on the light as Spike looked at the background and props with amazement. The background wall was black with many white dots that resembled stars as well as several larger circles that looked like planets; Some of them had rings and even a few moons. There were also comets, asteroids, and even a small nebula in the center. A props bin to his right caught his attention as he went over and looked inside it, revealing fake lazer guns, a fake control panel, and even a red wagon next to the props bin with rocket ship cardboard on both sides of it. Spike whistles in amazement. “This play’s gonna be amazing.” “It most certainly is!” Rarity called from the costume closet over on the side of the stage as the purple dragon went over and peaked his head in. “I’m all done!” the white unicorn turned and smiled at him as she trotted out of the room and closed the door. “And now that’s all done, what would you like to do for the rest of the day, darling?” “You want to spend the rest of the day with me?” Spike asked before quickly adding, “N-not that I don’t want to! I always want to spend time with you.” She looked at him for a moment with slight surprise before smiling sweetly at him. “Do you really mean that?” He realized his mistake as his face flushed a shade of red. “Um, w-well I uh…yes? You are one of a kind, you know.” “How sweet of you, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity embraced him before pulling away. “I’ll ask again; what would you like to do until the show?” “Well…” he thought for a moment before an idea hit him. “Maybe we can go to the spa?” he asked hopefully. “And if not, maybe we can chill at your place and eat ice cream together?” “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” she smiled at him once again before frowning. “However, when me and Fluttershy went to the spa a few days ago, we were told that they were closed for repairs and won’t be reopening until another two weeks.” Spike felt disappointed but didn’t show it. “Then ice cream it is.” “Agreed.” They both left the stage and left town hall as they went back to Carousel Boutique. “Spike?” He looked over at Rarity with curiosity. “Yes?” “Thank you, for everything.” she smiled gratefully at him. “Any time.” Spike smiled back as they continued onward together, not knowing that they were holding hooves/claws. Discord laid down on a tree branch not too far away from where Fluttershy and Meadow Brook sat together as he glared at the two pegasai. Instead of going home, he’d been watching them for the past two and a half hours in secret with nothing but bitter thoughts. ‘Why is Fluttershy giving Meadow so much attention? They’ve only known each other for less than 48 hours.’ the Draconequus thought. ‘I can’t believe that fanboy is so close to her already!’ A small poof came from his left as he turned to see a red miniature version of himself with a devil’s tail and pitchfork at his eye level. “I can read your thoughts, you know.” he said with a casual smile. “I know that you don’t like that guy.” Discord rolled his eyes. “Of course I don’t like him. Isn’t it obvious?” “Well duh, but why not? He sure is handsome for a stallion, and Fluttershy sure does like him already.” That caused him to tense up with a slight eye twitch before glaring at his bad conscience. “What?” “You know Meadow Brook is Fluttershy’s type. He looks like he exercises regularly, gets enough sleep, spends maybe enough time with his family, the list goes on.” “Are you saying that he could potentially be her special somepony?” Discord accused. “Because let me be the first to say this; you’re right.” he sighed. “Oh relax, Discord. I didn’t come here to make you even more of a tomato headed,” the devil Discord chided as he formed a devilish grin across his face. “I came to help you.” “Help me? How?” “Simple plan. Make that Meadow guy a fool in any way possible, and that’ll make Fluttershy dislike him for sure.” Discord had to admit, that was an extremely smart and cunning plan. A mischievous smile of his own formed on his lips as he looked over at Meadow Brook with an evil smile. “Ohohoho, I like the sound of that.” “Great! But be careful Fluttershy doesn’t see you doing this to Meadow, otherwise she’ll get really upset and might even cancel next week’s Tuesday Tea.” The Draconequus nodded in agreement, shivering at the thought of both possibilities happening. He made himself invisible as his bad conscience did the same thing. “So how are we going to do this?” Discord whispered. “While I naturally come up with brilliant ideas, I’ll need you for assistance in this.” “I’d be honored.” the Discord shoulder devil smirked with pride. “Now, the key to making somepony who’s perfect imperfect, you need to do something that’ll make them look bad.” he grinned evilly. “Like doing something that’ll annoy your victim so much, they’ll lose their temper and no one will like him.” “Oh, that is brilliant!” Discord cheered before clamping his mouth shut and looking over at Fluttershy, who thankfully didn’t hear him as he let out a soft sigh of relief. “How about I make a bunch of instruments interrupt him whenever he tries to talk?” “Convincing, but too random. Fluttershy will immediately suspect it’s you.” said the Draconequus devil. “Right. What if we made ‘Angel’ mad at Meadow for something?” “Like what? Even if we did do something like that, he would easily forgive that Pegasus fanboy. Besides, Devil Bunny seems to like him already.” Both Draconequui looked over at Angel as he hopped up to Meadow and nuzzled into his right foreleg. “Fine, what if we sent a swarm of bees at him?” “Too painful.” “Frame him for a robbery?” “Too cliche. Meadow can easily be proven otherwise.” “Dump an entire barrel of mud over him.” “Too smelly.” “Make him a potty mouth.” “Too inappropriate.” “Dunk him in the pond?” “Not good enough, plus it sounds like a good opportunity for him to be even more attractive. I mean, imagine Fluttershy emerging from water with her mane and tail all wet.” Discord turned to his shoulder devil with a blunt look. Even though they were both invisible, they could still see each other. “Are you going to keep rejecting my ideas?” “As a matter of fact, I have.” the bad conscience Draconequus replied. “Then why did you make me come up with all those dumb ideas?” “What? I had to see what you thought would be good enough to work.” Discord glared at him as he grabbed him around the torso and squeezed him tightly. “Tell me your stupid idea right now or I’ll throw you into a volcano.” “Alright alright, fine! Just let me go!” his shoulder devil said as he felt his body being released from the strong grip. “Anyway, all you have to do is make a Manticore attack Meadow.” “A Manticore?” the Lord of Chaos raised an eyebrow. “Won’t it attack Fluttershy as well?” “Well yeah, but not if you create your own Manticore and make it attack Meadow and only him.” This seemed interesting. “I’m listening.” “Once the Manticore attacks Meadow, he’ll be so cowardly that he won’t be able to save himself nor Fluttershy. And if the Manticore attacks her too, swoop in and save her.” “And that’ll make me look good and not him.” Discord concluded as he grinned mischievously. “Oh hallelujah that’s a magnificent idea!” He snapped his fingers as a Manticore materialized beneath the tree branch the Draconequus was lounging on. “Don’t forget to put a thorn in its paw for further measure.” the shoulder devil whispered as Discord snapped his fingers once again. A sharp pain emitted from the Manticore’s front right paw as he roared in pain. “Brilliant!” The Discord devil cheered, being careful to maintain a low volume as he high-fived the larger Draconequus and teleported with him to a nearby tree, making themselves visible. “Now to wait.” Discord whispered as they hid behind the tree with excited grins. Back with the two pegasai, Fluttershy smiled down at her pet bunny as Meadow Brook continued to stroke him in the spot he knew the lagomorph would like best. “Aww, Angel really likes you, Meadow.” she gushed. “He sure does.” Meadow nodded. Suddenly, a loud roar shook the entire animal sanctuary as Angel dashed off in fear. Both pegasai leapt to their hooves as they looked around for the source. “W-w-w-what was that?” Fluttershy stammered in fear. “It sounded like a Manticore.” Meadow answered as true to his word, an angry manticore leapt out of the bushes behind them and roared at them. “Stay behind me, Fluttershy. I’ll handle this!” The light brown Pegasus went up to the Manticore and smiled at him, much to Fluttershy’s surprise and worry. Back with Discord, he and his shoulder devil were snickering to themselves. “Oh I can’t wait to see what a coward Meadow is and save Fluttershy.” the Lord of Chaos whispered. “I couldn’t agree more.” his bad conscience whispered back with a grin as he peaked around the tree and gaped with disbelief. “What?” Discord raised an eyebrow. His shoulder devil turned to look at him with a grim look. “You’re not gonna like what I just saw.” “What’s wrong? Is Fluttershy severely injured?” worry filled the Draconequus at the very thought. “No. Something that won’t make you happy.” “Like what?” His shoulder indicated for him to look where he was pointing as Discord did so with curiosity. What he saw next left him gaping with disbelief. Meadow Brook was taming the Manticore, and In front of Fluttershy no less! “It’s okay big guy, I won’t hurt you.” he spoke in a soft and gentle tone. The Manticore gave him a confused look as Meadow noticed his front right paw was raised upward. “Can I see your paw please? The one that’s raised?” He stared at him for a moment before reluctantly showing his paw, revealing two sharp thorns stuck inside his palm. “Aw, you poor thing.” Meadow said with sympathy. “That must really hurt, doesn’t it?” The Manticore nodded his head with a sad expression as he held out his injured paw. “Alright, I’m gonna pull out the thorns from your paw. It’ll only hurt for just a second, but it’ll be over before you know it. Are you ready?” The Manticore nodded as he turned away and closed his eyes tightly. Back behind the tree, Discord and his shoulder devil waited in anticipation, hoping the Manticore would lash out and attack. Instead, it winced with a yelp as the thorns got pulled out of his paw. “There. All done.” Meadow smiled at him. “How do you feel?” The Manticore opened his eyes and looked at his paw, noticing that there were no longer any thorns in it. He gently patted it on the ground and noticed that it no longer hurt as he brightened with a smile and pulled in Meadow Brook for a tight hug. “You’re welcome.” Meadow smiled as he hugged the Manticore back before pulling away. “Now take care of yourself, and remember to watch where you walk.” The Manticore nodded at him as he turned and ventured back into the Everfree Forest. Meadow turned back to Fluttershy with concern, only to find her gaping at him in amazement. “Uh, Fluttershy? Are you alright?” he asked as he went up to her and waved his hoof in front of her eyes. She shook out of her trance as she grinned at him. “That was amazing!” “Oh, i-it was nothing.” Meadow looked away and rubbed his foreleg. “No it wasn’t, it was super impressive. I never saw anyone else tame a Manticore just like me. How did you do that?” “Sneaking off into the forest at my childhood home helped me become brave. Plus, this isn’t the only time I’ve tamed a chimerical creature.” “Really? How many have you tamed?” Fluttershy asked with heightened interest. “Um…three?” Meadow reluctantly replied as honestly as he could, worried that she’d think that was a lie. He thought wrong as she beamed at him. “Oh Meadow, I don’t know if I ever knew anyone more talented than you! Thank you, thank you so much for saving me.” Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around his neck as he paused for a moment and hugged her back. “You’re welcome.” he murmured, taking the moment to enjoy her embrace around him. Back behind the tree, Discord was fuming with anger as he glared at them. “I can’t believe your plan failed.” he snapped at his shoulder devil. “I know! How was I supposed to know that Meadow Brook guy was secretly a heroic knight and an expert with monsters?” Discord’s bad conscience said in agreement. “And now look at him, Fluttershy’s hugging him like she hugs you.” Discord looked back at the hugging pegasai with a glare of rage as a low lion-like snarl emitted from his throat, not noticing that his normally red eyes turned from an eerie shade of green to a dark shade of purple before returning to their natural color. “Uh Discord? Are you alright?” his shoulder devil cautiously asked, noticing the change in color of his eyes. “NO! I'M NOT ALRIGHT!” Discord roared before quickly teleporting away with his bad conscience, causing the two pegasai to break their embrace with a jump before turning to where the loud voice came from. “What was that?” Meadow asked. “I don’t know.” Fluttershy replied. “Whoever it was, he sounded really angry.” “Maybe we should continue with the tasks. We have been sitting here longer than planned.” “You’re right.” And with that, they went off into the animal sanctuary together. Back at Discord’s castle, the Lord of Chaos was currently glaring down at his bad conscience, who was looking down with guilt similar to a child being caught doing something bad. Neither of them moved a muscle, not made an attempt to say anything. Finally, after many more moments, Discord took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea how much of a failure your idea was?” “Um…” his bad side attempted to speak. “Maybe a little, but-” “And do you know how much of a problem Meadow turned out to be?” “Yes. but-” “I don’t want to hear it.” Discord sharply cut him off. “Not only was this plan a bust, but Fluttershy said to him that she never knew anyone more talented than him.” he narrowed his eyes. “She said that to me! I can’t believe she said that to him!” “I’m sure she didn’t mean it!” his shoulder devil protested defensively as he raised his hands. “Maybe Fluttershy just said it to make Meadow feel good about himself.” “Either way, I won’t stand for this.” The red miniature version of the Draconequus felt a shudder run down his spine from the low dangerous tone. “Um, what are you gonna do?” Discord glared at him. “I’m going to make sure Meadow Brook doesn’t come within an inch of Fluttershy, but why am I even telling you this? It’s none of your business.” he snapped his fingers as a black hole materialized directly beneath his bad conscience. The shoulder devil Draconequus got sucked into the portal with a scream as it disappeared from existence. Once his shoulder devil was gone, Discord let out an annoyed sigh and laid down on his bed. While his plan at making Meadow failed, he wouldn’t give up the fight for Fluttershy’s attention and phrase without a much more difficult challenge. Now craving for a drink, he sat up and his fingers as a chocolate milkshake materialized in front of him with a slight flicker, causing him to look at it with confusion. ‘Odd, nothing I ever made flickered before.’ he thought before shrugging. ‘Perhaps all that anger took a toll on my magic.’ The door to Carousel Boutique opened as Spike and Rarity stepped out and shared a hug. “Thanks again for the help, Spike.” she smiled at him as they broke the embrace. “You have no idea how happy I am for your assistance.” “You’re welcome, Rarity.” Spike smiled back. “I’ll see you and the girls tonight for the show.” “Agreed.” Rarity nodded as she surprised him with a peck on the cheek. “See you tonight, darling.” she went back inside her home and closed the door as Spike stood there with a stunned expression. ‘She kissed me.’ he thought. For a moment he just stood there with his claw on the cheek the white unicorn kissed. ‘She kissed me.’ A smile broke free from the restraint he put on his mouth. “Rarity kissed me!” he jumped into the air with a fist pump. It wasn’t the first time she did so, but it still felt good. He skipped back to the Castle of Friendship while humming a tune as some of the Ponyville residents gave him strange looks, which went unnoticed by him. He was too happy to even glance at them. Once he returned home, he immediately went to his room and collapsed onto his bed with a lovestruck grin. Due to his larger size, Twilight had bought him a much larger bed, to which he was grateful for. There was a knock on the doors to his bedroom as he shook out of his trance and sat up. “C-come in.” he called. The doors opened to reveal Twilight Sparkle as she looked over at her number one assistant. “Hey Spike. How did things go with Rarity?” “Oh uh, good. Normal good.” he replied nervously. “Really? Then what happened to make you so happy?” “Um…” he turned away to hide the small blush on his cheeks. “You can tell me, Spike.” Twilight said with a knowing look. “Rarity kissed you, didn’t she?” Spike turned to her and forced out a chuckle. “What? No! I was just…imagining.” “Imagining what?” “Um…well.” finding nothing of a good excuse, the purple dragon let out a sigh. “Alright fine, Rarity did kiss me. Only on the cheek.” He turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, too embarrassed to face his caretaker. Hoofsteps could be heard until he felt a pair of forelegs wrap around his body. Spike opened his eyes to see Twilight hugging him. “Oh Spike, that’s so wonderful.” she said as she pulled away and smiled at him. “I always knew Rarity would return your feelings at some point. “Really?” Spike said with surprise. He knew Twilight knew about his feelings for the Element of Generosity, but never imagined her supporting his pursuit of her. “Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “But know this: whether Rarity returns your feelings or not, you have my blessing.” “Really?” She nodded in confirmation as the teenaged dragon embraced her in a hug. “Thanks, Twilight. You have no idea how much that means to me.” “You’re welcome.” she smiled as they broke the embrace. “Are you gonna join me, Starlight, and Sunset in the library?” “Later.” Spike replied as she nodded in understanding and left, closing the doors behind her. Once she was gone, he laid back down and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Maybe there was more hope Rarity would love him than he thought. Either way, he wouldn’t give up. The sun set in the horizon as the citizens of Ponyville flocked into town hall and took a seat in front of the stage inside of town hall. The time read 6:30, and the play that the students of the Ponyville schoolhouse were going to put on their show at precisely 7:00 in Town Hall. Discord teleported onto the front porch of Fluttershy’s cottage and knocked on her door as Angel opened it and glared at him before slamming the door. The Draconequus waited for a moment before knocking again, completely unfazed by the lagomorph's rudeness. He heard hoofsteps from inside come up to the door as it opened, revealing the Element of Kindness as she smiled up at her chaotic friend. “Good evening, Fluttershy.” Discord bowed. “I trust that you’re ready for tonight's performance?” “I am.” Fluttershy said before turning to Angel with a stern look. “And remember, Angel…” “No snacking, opening the door for strangers, and seconds during dinner.” the white bunny squeaked as his caretaker smiled in satisfaction and kissed him on the forehead, earning an embarrassed grumble from him. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” she said as she stepped outside and closed the front door. She immediately got teleported to Ponyville town square, not at all surprised by the sudden teleportation. After being friends with the Lord of Chaos for over 4 years, she was more than used to his random feats of chaos. “I do hope tonight's play will have some chaos in it.” Discord said as they walked towards Town Hall. “There’s nothing better than a show filled with lots of mayhem and drama.” “I know what you mean.” Fluttershy nodded. “Whether the play goes smoothly or not, I’m sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their schoolmates will do a wonderful job.” They got in the long line that stretched outside as Discord let out a groan. “A line? We have to wait in a line?” he complained. “Why did that play advertisement have to be so popular?” He summoned a flier for the school play as he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it and swallowing afterwards. “I’m sure we’ll be inside soon.” Fluttershy reassured him as the line moved a few steps. “If by soon you mean when we’re nothing but skeletons, then yeah.” She gave him a look. “What? I hate waiting.” Discord shrugged innocently as he leaned towards her ear. “And if you want, I can make this line move faster in a snap.” “No thank you.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m fine.” Discord folded his arms with an irritated growl as he thumped his lizard foot impatiently. ‘How much longer do we have to wait?’ He summoned a watch on his lion wrist as he looked to see that only a few minutes had passed. If this stupid line didn’t move within the next second… “Hey, Fluttershy.” His thoughts were interrupted as he turned to see none other than Meadow Brook, much to his displeasure. ‘Oh great.’ Discord thought sourly. ‘He’s here.’ “Meadow!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily as she embraced him. “I’m glad you could make it.” “Me too.” Meadow briefly hugged her back as they broke the hug. “I can’t wait to see the school play.” “Me neither. I’m really glad Applebloom and her friends are helping out their new classmate.” “So am I.” he nodded. Discord looked down at him with slightly narrowed eyes as he cleared his throat. “I too cannot wait until we get inside.” he said, hiding the displeasure in his voice as he forced a smile on his mouth. Thankfully, the line slowly began to move as the trio looked to see the front doors to Town Hall open. “Finally.” Discord sighed as they slowly made their way towards the tall building. Once they got up onto the patio, they placed their tickets inside the small ticket box as they went inside town hall. The foyer had more than a hundred seats and a large stage on the wall with intergalactic music being played in the background. The group picked up their own playbills from the small table next to the doors as they began to look for a spot to sit. “Fluttershy, Meadow, Discord!” The trio stopped when they heard their names called as they looked over in the center of the seats to see Rainbow Dash waving at them, who was sitting with Applejack and Rarity. “Girls!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily as she trotted over to the row where they were and took a seat next to her fillyhood friend. Unfortunately for Discord, Meadow moved ahead of him and sat down next to the yellow Pegasus as the chaos lord sat next to the light brown Pegasus, grumbling to himself. “Where are the others?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought they’d be here already.” “They’ll be here, darling,” said Rarity. “I'm certain of it.” “Well I hope they hurry up. The show’ll start soon.” Rainbow said impatiently. “I dunno about you guys, but I don’t think I can wait for much longer.” ‘Welcome to my world, Dashie.’ Discord thought as he opened his playbill, which in his opinion wasn’t anything exciting. “Be patient, Rainbow.” said Applejack. “Twilight and the others will be here soon.” Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait for much longer as they heard bouncing coming down the aisle. The group turned to see Pinkie hopping towards them as she took a seat next to Discord. “Hey girls, you too boys! Are you ready for the most amazing performance in Ponyville? Because I sure am!” Pinkie said rapidly as she took a seat next to Discord. “And they even gave me a playbill!” she pulled it out of nowhere as she quickly skimmed through it. “But I don’t see anything in here that says you have to pay the bill.” “Pinkie darling, playbills aren’t the bills you pay, they're just to show you the acting cast and members of the tech crew.” Rarity explained. “Oooooh, riiiiiight.” the Element of Laughter said in understanding. “But anyway, I can’t wait until the show starts, and I can’t wait for the others to get here too.” “That’s apparently the story of this evening.” Rainbow muttered under her breath as she pulled out her playbill and read it out of boredom. Discord read his playbill until he heard Fluttershy and Meadow conversing together. He let out a silent growl as he summoned a pair of ear plugs into his ears, pretending to be absorbed into his oh so entertaining playbill, which happened to be anything but. He glanced over at the two pegasus before returning to his small book, annoyed that Fluttershy was giving Meadow Brook so much attention. ‘What does she see in that guy?’ he thought. “Hi girls!” Despite wearing ear plugs, he heard the sound of a familiar Princess of Friendship as he lifted his head and turned to his left, seeing none other than Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike sitting in the remaining seats to the left. He forced a smile on his lips. “Why hello, Twilight and friends.” “Hello to you too, Discord.” Twilight said with her smile falling slightly, genuinely surprised that he came. The Draconequus could sense that as he grinned at her. “Surprised to see me? Well, I have been meaning to go and see a musical for quite a while.” “I can see that.” the purple alicorn nodded slowly before giving him a serious look. “But don’t do anything to disrupt the play.” Discord faked a gasp as if to feel offended by her assumption. “Why Twilight, I wouldn’t even dream of doing such a thing.” He grinned at her as an angel hollow formed above his head, causing the ponies to roll their eyes. Well, save for Fluttershy and Meadow Brook as the Element of Kindness giggled slightly while the Pegasus stallion gave him a look crossed with an expression of slight worry and uncertainty. “Then why are you wearing those ear plugs?” asked Starlight as she pointed up at his ears. “Hmm? Oh!” Discord reached up and twisted his ear plugs before pulling them out. “I was just using them to clean my ears.” he tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them whole as the group looked at it with disgust. Rarity put a hoof to cover her mouth as Meadow turned away from him, clearly uncomfortable with the chaos lord’s weird trick. The Draconequus noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t even flinch at it, let alone turn away from him. It caused a sense of pride to well up within him as he noticed the lights beginning to dim. Everyone in the auditorium silenced their conversations as they looked to see the Ponyville school teacher, Cheerilee, stepping onto the stage and stopping in front of a spot where a spot light was pointing. “Good evening, everypony. Or rather, everycreature.” she said, noticing that Spike and Discord were present. “It pleases me immensely to see you all here tonight for my student’s school play. And it was all made possible due to 3 students of mine: Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” The audience applauded. “They pitched in and helped my new student, Spotlight, earn her cutie mark by asking me to allow her to write a school play. When I heard about this, I was more than happy to help out. It took many long rehearsals after school for over the past month, but it all paid off and my students are ready to perform.” ‘Hurry up. We don’t have all night.’ Discord thought impatiently. “Without further ado, it’s with grand pleasure that I give you: Super Space Rangers!” Cheerilee said proudly as everyone erupted into excited cheers, exiting the stage as the spotlight dimmed into complete darkness. ‘Finally.’ Discord thought as he got comfy and summoned a pair of 3D glasses. A half hour later, the play was deep in full swing. It was about a trio of superheroes out to save the universe from two snobby super villain sisters, who wanted to take over the universe and enslave every life form forever. “Have no fear, space troopers! We’ll save the universe!” Applebloom said boldly, wearing a red and yellow superhero costume and brown cowgirl boots with a red cape on her back and her red and yellow mask. “Yeah! We’ll defeat Princess Sparklepants and Lady Platinum even if we die trying.” Scootaloo piped up in agreement, wearing a purple and orange costume and a pair of purple boots on her hooves and a purple cape on her back and orange and purple mask over her eyes. Discord snickered. ‘Princess Sparklepants?’ It sounded a lot like the little nickname he gave Twilight, and it was rather amusing. ‘I wonder who it is?’ “Now on my watch!” a voice boomed from the background as out stepped Diamond Tiara. “Me and Lady Platinum will stop you.” She smirked at the trio. Her outfit consisted of a sparkly princess dress that was the same color as her fur with purple ribbons on the lower part of the gown and a diamond on the chest part. A golden yellow crown with three diamonds on it stood on top of her head and a pair of glass slippers bestowed on her hoofs. “Princess Sparklepants is right! You’re the ones who’ll be at our mercy.” another voice piped up as out stumbled Silver Spoon, who wore a light gray dress with small circular diamonds on the edge of the gown and a pair of light gray slippers on her hooves. Discord could've sworn he recognized both earth ponies. ‘Who are they?’ he thought before perking up slightly with realization. ‘Oh now I remember her. That’s…Diamond Crown and Silver Fork or whatever..’ He remembered hearing about them being the Ponyville schoolhouse bullies, not to mention the tormentors of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Diamond’s sudden reformation surprised the chaos lord when that day happened. She was almost a worse brat than Angel Bunny in his opinion. “In your dreams, maybe.” said Sweetie Belle, who’s superhero outfit was purple with sparkles and a purple cape over her back. Pink superhero high heel boots were on her hooves and her purple and pink mask showed proudly over her eyes. “We all know that you’ll never succeed.” “Ha! Not on my watch.” Princess Sparkle Pants scoffed definitely. “Once I capture all the life forms from across the universe, there’ll be nothing stopping me from my eternal ruling!” “Not on our watch.” said Scootaloo. “You’ll never succeed, especially on our watch.” “You’ll never defeat us!” Princess Sparkle Pants said haughtily as she and Lady Platinum turned and walked away, laughing evilly. “Yes we will!” Applebloom shouted in their direction. “Super Space Rangers, let’s move out!” “Yes ma’am!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said obediently as the lights dimmed into complete darkness. As the show went on, it became more action filled. There were even a number of funny moments that not even the spirit of chaos couldn’t resist chuckling at. However, not too long later on, his attention soon diverted back to the two Pegasus to his right. Meadow Brook and Fluttershy soon felt their hooves touching each other’s as they looked at each other for a second before smiling and returning their attention to the play. They scooted closer to each other as the Element of Kindness rested her head against Meadow’s shoulder, causing him to tense up with surprise before relaxing and draping his wing over her body. Discord watched their little friendly moment of affection with disgust. ‘Why is Fluttershy doing that to him? She usually does it with me, not some fanboy. Why is she so happy with him? Why isn’t she pulling away? Why isn’t she doing that with me instead of him?’ His thoughts were interrupted by the silent confused chatter of the audience as he looked to where they were looking, surprised to see a green and purple cotton candy cloud forming above the stage. He instantly made it disappear as some of the ponies in attendance turned his way, giving him suspicious looks. Discord faced the stage and ignored the looks he was receiving as he focused on the space chase scene that was going on. The rest of the play went on without incident as the lights illuminated the interior of Ponyville town hall as everyone rose to their hooves and applauded as the classmates of the local schoolhouse took a bow. A gray earth pony with a black mane and tail and blue eyes took a few steps in front of the colts and fillies and took another bow, presumably the writer of the entertaining performance, received another wave of cheers as she shyly took a bow before stepping back. Afterwards, the kids dispersed off the stage and went up to their family members as Discord rose to his feet and followed the ponies to his left out of the row. The group was immediately greeted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they galloped up to their big sisters. “Did you see us up there?” Scootaloo asked excitedly as she grinned up at her role model. “Sure did, Scoots,” Rainbow ruffled her mane. “Gotta admit; you look really cool with that costume on.” “Thanks.” “You all did a wonderful job.” Rarity said as she embraced her younger sister. “And your costumes make you look quite super if I do say so myself.” “I know.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Spotlight did an amazing job writing the play.” “Yeah,” Applebloom agreed. “Where are Big Mac and Granny?” she asked as she looked around the crows of ponies. “Granny caught a light cold and Big Mac had to stay behind to take care of her.” replied Applejack. “But I’m sure they’ll be real proud of you once we get home.” “We all are,” said Twilight before looking up at Discord with an unhappy look. “Now that that’s all taken care of, would you mind explaining that little cloud that formed above the stage, Mr. Lord of Chaos?” “If you must know, I didn’t do that.” Discord said honestly. “At least, not intentionally.” “Really?” Rainbow gave him a blunt look. “You’re the only magical being in Equestria that can make strange weather.” “That’s true, but I would never attempt to ruin a show like that. Besides, my clouds are pink, not green and purple.” To prove his point, Discord summoned a pink cotton candy in his hands as Pinkie widened her eyes at it and immediately leapt up and snatched it. “Dibs!” she shouted as she held it like a pillow and snuggled into the pink texture. “Do you really expect us to believe that?” asked Rainbow, still unconvinced. Fluttershy took a step forward and stood next to her chaotic friend. “If Discord says that he didn’t mean it, then I believe him.” she said as she smiled up at him. Discord smiled back. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” “Why don’t we go ahead and leave?” Twilight suggested. “It’s getting late and someone needs his rest.” She looked over at her teenaged number one assistant as he rubbed his eyes and quickly lowered his hands once everyone was looking at him with a sheepish grin. Everyone said their goodbyes and shared a group hug, excluding the Lord of Chaos, as they all went outside, only to discover that it was raining. “Oh, I didn’t even bring an umbrella.” Rarity complained. “My mane will get all wet.” “Relax, that's a simple fix.” Discord said dismissively as he snapped his fingers, causing magical force fields of the colors of the ponies to form around them. “These domes are resistant to any kind of weather and you can still breathe in them. They’ll only last until you all reach your homes so I highly suggest you get a move on.” Rainbow gave him a suspicious look as she stepped out from underneath the protective overhead patio and into the rain, surprised to see the rain falling onto the dome and not on her. “Huh. for once you do something right.” “For once?” the Draconequus raised a brow at her. “Are you implying that I never do anything right?” “Well, not everything you do is good,” the cyan Pegasus gave him a look. “But thanks for the dome.” She flew ahead of the group and back to her cloud mansion as the others followed in suit and went back to their respective homes. The only ponies who still stood by Discord were Fluttershy and Meadow Brook. The spirit of disharmony teleported in front of the yellow Pegasus and extended his eagle claw. “Do you want me to take you home, my dear?” he asked with a smile. “I trust you don’t want to brave the storm alone.” “Don’t worry, I’ll take her home.” said Meadow as he smiled at her. “If you want to, that is.” “I don’t see why not, but are you sure? I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble.” Fluttershy said. “It’s no trouble, Fluttershy. I don’t mind some extra time to chat with you.” “Well…okay.” The Pegasus mare smiled at him before turning her attention to her chaotic friend. “I hope you don’t mind, Discord.” Despite feeling angry at the light brown Pegasus for stealing away his number one friend, he forced a smile on his face. “Oh no, not at all.” he lied as he scooped her up into a hug, causing her to wrap her forelegs around his chest. “See you at our next tea party?” “See you then.” she broke the embrace as she landed on the ground and trotted with Meadow Brook to her cottage. Discord glared off into their direction bitterly with gritted teeth as he balled his fists and folded his arms. That meddlesome little fanboy had succeeded in stealing Fluttershy away from him. ‘Why that little…’ Letting out a growl, he disappeared back to his castle, more angry than ever at Meadow Brook. 3 nights later… “I don’t like him.” “Don’t like who?” Spike asked as he and Big Mac looked at Discord with curious expressions. It was time for their annual Guys Night, and tonight their Ogres and Oubliettes game was being held in Discord’s castle in his special O&O room. They were dressed up in their special outfits and the room was in the background of the O&O universe. “That ‘Meadow Brook’ guy.” Discord replied as he and his teammates trudged through a thick forest. “Why not?” Spike asked. “He’s a really nice guy.” “Eyup.” Big Mac nodded in agreement. “While that’s true, I think otherwise. He may claim to be a big fan of Fluttershy and share his love of animals with hers, but beneath all that is nothing but a bunch of lies. Plus he’s spending more time with her on a daily basis compared to me.” Spike and Big Mac looked at each other as their expressions transformed into knowing looks. “I know what’s going on.” said the purple dragon as he smirked at the chaos lord. “What?” Discord looked at him with curiosity. “You’re jealous.” The Draconequus skidded to a half as his teammates stopped in suit. “Excuse me?” he glared at him. “You’re jealous that Fluttershy is spending more time with Meadow instead of you.” “Eyup.” “What the…t-t-that’s not true.” Discord crossed his arms with a chuckle, finding the accusation to be very humorous. “Besides, I’m suspicious that he’s up to something no good.” “Like what?” Spike asked with a raised brow. “Well…” the Draconequus hesitated. What could he come up with to disprove the accusation? Perhaps Meadow was an infamous serial killer out to murder Fluttershy (which sounded convincing but a little too grim), or maybe he was an evil shape shifter out to destroy the world. That actually sounded pretty likely, but who in Equestria is an evil shape shifter? The only evil shapeshifter he could think of was a certain former Queen of the Changelings… A lightbulb flashed above Discord’s head. “Maybe, just maybe, ‘Meadow Brook’ is really Chrysalis in a disguise trying to exact her revenge.” he said, grinning at how convincing that sounded. Unfortunately for him, Spike and Big Mac didn’t believe him. “Nope.” the red stallion shook his head. “Nice try, Discord, but we all know that you’re jealous of Meadow.” Spike said. “Besides, this isn’t the first time this happened.” He had a point. Discord remembered when Fluttershy invited Tree Hugger to the Grand Galloping gala, making him feel extremely angry and left out. “Regardless if Meadow is an actual stallion or Chrysalis, I still don’t like the idea of him being so close to Fluttershy.” the Draconequus scowled. “And it’s not jealousy. Nothing more, nothing less.” “Come on, Discord. It’s alright to admit that you’re jealous. It’s not gonna mess up your image if that’s what you’re worried about.” said Spike. “Plus, if Meadow and Fluttershy become a couple, how would you react?” Discord froze. The very image of them both falling in love and getting married in the future caused his eye to twitch. He took a few deep breaths as he addressed the teenage dragon. “Well, if and only if they become a couple, I’ll support Fluttershy in any way that I can.” the chaos lord explained. “Even if I hate it.” he added under his breath. “Well, if you say so,” said Spike reluctantly. “But it’s alright to feel jealous, just don’t let it get the better of you.” “For the last time, I’m not jealous.” the Draconequus said defiantly. “Besides, why would I feel that way anyway?” “Well…” the purple dragon hesitated. “Well what?” Discord leaned down to his eye level. “Is there something you’d like to tell the rest of the class?” a teacher’s outfit materialized on his body as an apple popped into existence on his lion paw. The little charade soon returned to his Captain Wuzz outfit. “well…It’s just a theory, but…maybe you have a crush on Fluttershy?” Spike reluctantly answered as he turned away with tightly closed eyes and awaited the chaos lord’s reaction. After a few minutes of silence, he slowly turned back to see Discord frozen with shock and confusion. “Discord?” Spike waved a claw in front of his eyes. “Hello? Garbuckle the Magician to Captain Wuzz.” After another moment of being like a statue, Discord erupted into laughter as the purple dragon took a couple steps back from him, startled by his sudden reaction. “Me?! In love?!” His laughter soon became hysterical as he collapsed onto the floor and rolled around as if he heard the most funny joke of all time. He was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was beginning to struggle for air. His laughter soon died down as he stood up and wiped his eyes and cheeks clean from his mirthful tears. “Why on earth would I feel that way to Fluttershy?” he asked with a small chuckle. “She and I are just friends.” “Well, you both have been spending a lot of time together.” replied Spike. “Some friends of the opposite gender do find themselves falling in love sometimes.” “While that’s true, that isn’t how me and Fluttershy will turn out, especially with Meadow Brook around.” Discord huffed. “Besides, what good is there in making kissy faces and holding hooves and staring at each other lovingly?” he puffed out his cheeks at the thought with a gag as he gulped down whatever vomit filled up his mouth. Big Mac and Spike shared a confused look. “Discord? Do you even know what love is?” asked the purple dragon. “Of course I do. It’s how I just described it.” the chaos lord replied before raising an eyebrow. “Why?” “Well, maybe that’s how you feel towards Fluttershy. Ya do speak really fondly of her all the time.” explained Big Mac. “But if you’re sayin’ that you’re just friends and nothin’ more then that’s fine, but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with lovin’ somepony.” “And how would you know, Big Mac?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Spike may have a crush on Rarity, but you’re the only one who doesn’t like anypony.” “Well…as a matter of fact, I do.” the red stallion murmured as he looked away shyly with a small blush. Spike and Discord charred surprised looks. “What?!” they both exclaimed before turning back to their companion. “Who is it?” “Her name’s Sugar Belle.” Big Mac replied. “Wait a minute, Twilight told me about her.” Spike piped up with a raised finger in familiarization. “She’s that unicorn with that bakery in Starlight’s old village, right?” “Eyup.” Big Mac sighed. “I’ve been makin’ a few apple deliveries to her bakery for the past couple weeks just to see her.” his expression became loving. “She’s real sweet, hard workin’, and one heck of a good baker.” Discord fought the urge to roll his eyes at how love sick his friend was as he teleported to his side and draped his arm over the red stallion’s shoulder with a smile. “Well first, Macky ol’ boy, congratulations on finding your true love.” “Thanks.” Big Mac smiled slightly. “Second of all…” Discord continued as he teleported back to his spot. “What does any of this have to do with me? Are you saying that the more I see Fluttershy, the higher the risk I’ll get at ‘falling in love with her?’” “Well, it could happen.” Spike replied with a shrug. “But if you do develop feelings for her, what’ll you do about it?” “Oh I don’t know. Tell her, and await a completely and utterly humiliating rejection?” the Draconequus replied dramatically before chuckling. “Oh no no no no no. I cannot, will not, allow my poor little heart to get broken, especially by Fluttershy.” “But she won’t.” the purple dragon argued. “From what I can tell, she really enjoys your company no matter how often you see each other.” “Of course she does. We’re friends.” “But maybe-” “Look, can we please continue on with our little adventure?” Discord interrupted with annoyance. “I’d much rather defeat the evil Squizzard with you both than talk about ‘love’ all evening.” Spike and Big Mac shared a look as the purple dragon let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s go.” “Good.” The chaos lord smiled in satisfaction as he and his colleagues continued on through the thick forest. ‘But you know I’m right.’ Spike thought to himself. Discord laid on top of his bed in his bedroom as he stared down at the ceiling/floor, conflicted by his thoughts. He’d teleported Spike and Big Mach back to their homes many hours ago after finishing their O&O game and defeating the evil Squizzard together. The disharmony spirit should’ve been asleep, considering that it was past one in the morning, but laid awake as he recalled the words that Spike had shared with him. He was still appalled that the purple teenager accused him of being jealous, to which he still denied, but his thoughts were clouded by one little word that had him up this late into the night. Love. Discord shook his head with a scoff. He was not in love with Fluttershy, and only their friendship mattered to him. He was still disturbed by the potentiality of Meadow becoming her boyfriend and spending less time with him. Could it be that they were spending a lot of time together because they were…calling for each other? The chaos lord shook his head. ‘Absolutely not!’ he thought strongly. ‘There’s no way in Tartarus Fluttershy would develop feelings for that fanboy, especially when he’s really Chrysalis in a disguise.’ He smiled at how convincing that sounded. ‘Yes, that’s probably it. I’m not jealous nor in love with Fluttershy, and she probably doesn’t have such feelings for me nor Meadow anyway. I mean, she would never love a monster like me.’ Discord winced as he felt a jolt of pain in his chest. “What was that?” he silently said aloud as he placed his. “Why did it hurt to say that?” He shifted his position so that he was laying on his left side. All he was thinking about was how ridiculous it would be if Fluttershy had feelings for him. Another painful jolt. Discord rolled back onto his back, confused by the heart attack-like feeling inside him. ‘Why did it still hurt to think that? I mean, what good is there in loving somepony anyway? What’s the point of love?’ His thoughts drifted off as another question popped up in his head. ‘What is love?’ For the first time in his life, he was truly confused. He had absolutely no idea what the definition of love was. Who could he go to for advice on it? ‘Not Twilight.’ Discord thought. ‘She’s the Princess of Friendship, not love.’ His eyes widened slightly. ‘Wait a minute…’ There was only one love princess in Equestria, and she was currently the ruler of the Crystal Empire with her husband and newborn daughter. And she was none other than Princess Mi Amore Cadenza aka Cadence. “That’s it!” Discord suddenly shouted as a lightbulb flashed brightly above his head. “I’ll ask her about love. There’s no way she’ll turn down an offer to teach a student about the subject she knows best. I can swing by her castle tomorrow and she can teach me.” He grinned to himself before frowning. ‘Why on earth would she teach me about love? She’ll probably think I’m up to something, especially her hubby.’ Then again, there were many ways to convince others he had honest intentions. And knowing Cadence, there was no way she would turn down an offer to teach a reformed villain such as himself the definition of love and how it works in life. Then again, there was Shining Armor, who still didn’t trust the chaos lord, especially after siding with Tirek. Plan in mind, Discord teleported underneath his covers and poked his head out from the top as he rested it on his pillows and closed his eyes. If it was a competition Meadow Brook wanted, then that’s just what he’ll get. To be continued… Author's Note I hope you enjoyed this! Sorry for not showing more of what happened during the play the Cutie Mark Crusaders did, but I didn’t feel like doing it. As you probably guessed, the love triangle between Discord, Meadow Brook, and Fluttershy is well underway, which is inspired by the love triangle in My Little Pony: Love is Magic. But anyway, see you in Chapter 5! 😀 Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 5Discord awoke the next morning with a jolt as he rubbed his eyelids with a yawn. With half lidded eyes, he glanced at his alarm clock, which showed that it was fifteen minutes past seven am. He closed his eyes and slowly felt himself falling back asleep before opening his eyes suddenly. Today was the day he had to go and see Cadence. Sitting up, he teleported into his bedroom bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth before teleporting into the kitchen and summoning a box of completed A+ homework assignments. ‘If I’m going to learn, I must be smarter.’ the chaos lord thought as he took out the first paper he saw and crumpled it into a ball. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully as he swallowed it, taking a sip of a glass of chocolate milk he summoned. “Not bad,” he said aloud. “However, if I’m going to get to Cadence on time, I must hurry.” Nodding to himself, he took twenty papers into his hands and crammed them into his mouths he chewed them before swallowing. As he ate his meal at the same pace, his thoughts drifted off to the dreams he had last night. In his dreams, Discord was relaxing in an easy chair with a glass of chocolate milk with ice cubes in them on his front lawn wearing a pair of sunglasses when he heard soft and angelic singing. He made his chair and drink disappear as he teleported off towards the source. When he teleported, he arrived at Sweet Feather Sanctuary and spotted Fluttershy sitting by herself with some birds, singing to them. When she saw the chaos lord, she waved at him and invited him over to her spot, to which he obliged. When he came to her side, he sat down and complemented her lovely voice, earning a shy thank you and an adorable blush from the Element of Kindness. He asked her to sing to him, causing her to hesitate for a moment before agreeing. As she sang, Discord listened to her voice with a dreamy expression, finding her heavenly voice to be very enjoyable. However, his initial joy was shattered when he spotted a familiar light brown Pegasus stallion flying towards them, causing the Draconequus to narrow his eyes in annoyance Meadow Brook landed on the ground in front of them and asked what was going on as Fluttershy replied by saying that she was just singing. He then asked if she could continue singing as she replied with a simple yes and did so. Discord was unhappy that meddlesome fanboy interrupted his one-on-one time with his number one friend, but forced himself to focus on her singing voice. After she finished singing, he and Meadow applauded at her, causing her to look away shyly with a mumbly thank you. Meadow then asked if he could treat Fluttershy to lunch, to which she agreed happily before apologizing to her chaotic friend and hoping he wouldn’t mind visiting some other time. He was of course upset by the sudden change, but lied by saying that he didn’t mind. Fluttershy gave him a hug before flying off with Meadow Brook, holding hooves as they disappeared into the air. Discord was saddened by her leaving and missed her presence already, but angry at Meadow for taking her away from him. The Draconequus let out a huff as he ate 20 more A+ homework papers. ‘There will be no more Mr. I’m Gonna Allow You To Take Fluttershy Away From Me after today, Meadow Brook.’ he thought to himself. ‘After today, Fluttershy will be mine.’ He shook his head. ‘No, Fluttershy isn’t mine. We’re just friends, nothing more nothing less.’ Discord smirked to himself. There was no way in the wide world of Equestria a pony like her would ever love someone like him. His body twitched at the twinge of pain that shot through him. ‘What is wrong with me?!’ he shouted in his mind. ‘Why does it have to hurt to think that?’ He took a sip of his chocolate milk as he took forty homework papers from his box and gulped them down whole. Shaking off the jolt he felt, he began to contemplate how his idea of learning love for the Princess of Love would help him. While it was clearly obvious he was not in love with Fluttershy, he wanted to learn about it out of boredom, plain and simple. Plus, it would be a perfect opportunity to gain the upper hand against Meadow Brook and prevent him from getting closer to her. Taking the box into his hands, he poured the remaining homework assignments into his mouth and gulped them down as he shrugged down the rest of his chocolate milk, letting out a burp afterwards as he made the empty box and glass disappear in a flash of light before teleporting away, determined to get his lessons started. Discord reappeared in the snowy outskirts near the Crystal Empire, shivering as he folded his arms and looked around in confusion. This wasn’t where he wanted to reappear. He just shrugged and clapped his hands twice, teleporting in front of the front doors to the Crystal Castle in the Crystal Empire, startling the two purple Pegasus guards posted on both sides before they recollected themselves and narrowed their eyes at the chaos lord. “Do you have an appointment?” one of the guards demanded. “An appointment?” Discord raised a brow. “I thought Cadence was open to anypony in need of love advice.” “Do you have an appointment, yes or no?” the guard repeated impatiently. ‘Sheesh. Tough crowd.’ the Draconequus thought before replying with a simple, “No.” “Then you can’t see her majesty,” said the other guard. “Now please leave.” “Oh come now, let's be reasonable. I thought good ol’ Cady allowed all the heroes of Equestria in her castle whenever they came here, and if you need a reminder of past events, I helped Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and a Changeling by the name of Thorax save everyone from the rest of the Changelings over a month ago. Does that ring any bells?” The guards looked at each other. He was right, and even Cadence told them about it that day. Nodding to themselves, they retracted their spear and allowed him to enter. “I knew you’d cooperate.” Discord smiled at them as he teleported inside of the castle. He reappeared inside of the hallways and spotted the door to the throne room. He was about to knock when a voice stopped him. “Discord?” He turned to his left and saw none other than Sunburst carrying Flurry Heart in her wheelless stroller trotting up to him. “What are you doing here?” the yellow unicorn asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ah Sunburst! Good to see you, old bean.” the Draconequus grinned at him before leaning down to the baby alicorn. “And little Flurry Heart too.” He reached up and tickled her chin with his eagle talon as she giggled in response and reached up to him. “Um, what are you doing here in the castle?” Sunburst asked as the chaos lord stood up to full height. “Well, if you must know, I’m in need of some…advice from the Princess of Love herself.” Discord replied, choosing not to go into full detail. “You’re here for love advice?” “No, I’m here because I don't know what love is.” ‘At least that part’s true,’ the Draconequus thought. “But why would you want to know what love is?” Sunburst asked. “You’re the oldest magical being in Equestria, so it’s only natural you’d know the most about pony culture.” “I do and I am, but…” the disharmony spirit hesitated, winding up empty of excuses as he let out a sigh. “Alright fine, I suppose you deserve to know the truth.” The yellow unicorn motioned for him to continue as he and Flurry Heart looked up at Discord with curiosity. “A few days ago, a Pegasus stallion by the name of Meadow Brook moved into Ponyville and quickly became friends with Fluttershy and gained her trust very easily. They’ve been spending a lot of time together and I don’t like it, mainly because I’m suspicious that Meadow is up to something no good and is using Fluttershy as a means to get away with his plans. The reason why I’m here is so that I can learn what love is and how to gain the upper hoof.” “So the reason why you’re here to see Cadence is because you’re jealous of Fluttershy and Meadow's friendship, and to top it off, you have a crush on her.” Sunburst summarized. Discord face palmed himself as he dragged his lion paw down his face in annoyance before leaning down to the yellow unicorn’s eye level with a glare, causing him to back away slightly in intimidation. “Let me make one thing clear, Sunny,” he said in a low tone. “I’m not jealous nor in love with Fluttershy. She and I are just friends and that’s how things are gonna stay. Got it?” Sunburst gulped and nodded. “So, is Cadence available or not? I have a very important appointment with her.” “She’s in the throne room and nopony’s speaking with her at the moment.” “Good.” Discord rose to his full height as he strode over to the doors and placed his lion paw on the handle. “Oh, and before I forget…” he turned back to the yellow unicorn. “What is it?” Sunburst asked. “Starlight has a crush on you.” And with that, the chaos lord teleported away. “Oh, okay.” Sunburst said casually as he went on down the hallway with Flurry Heart in her stroller in his magical grasp. He suddenly stopped with widened eyes. “Wait, what?!” Cadence sat on her throne with a smile, pleased that the day had less responsibilities than usual. Usually she and her husband, Shining Armor, were sometimes needed in meeting with other delegates and leaders from across Equestria, but today there were no tasks, so she chose to sit in the throne room and wait for anyone who needed love advice. She levitated a glass of water over and took a sip before letting out a sigh. “It’s so peaceful.” she said to herself. “It most certainly is.” a voice spoke up and echoed from out of nowhere. “But don’t get used to it, you’ll become quite the peace addict.” Cadence’s smile fell. There was only one being in the land that had that voice. “Hello Discord.” she said with slight disdain. The said spirit of chaos materialized in front of her with his entire body completely crystalized. “Why hello, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Discord grinned at her as he took a bow before striking a pose. “Like what I’ve done with myself? Do I look sparkly?” “You do.” the love princess replied. “Is there a reason why you’re here besides just to show me your new look?” “There is actually.” Discord said as he made his body return to normal. “There’s a little something I’ve been meaning to ask since last night.” “And that is?” she prompted him to continue. “Well…” he suddenly became nervous. “Can you…show me what love is?” he quietly mumbled. “What?” Cadence gave him another raised eyebrow. “Can you please…show me what love is?” he repeated even quieter “Discord, I can’t understand you with you mumbling like that.” The Draconequus let out an irritated sigh. “Fine! Can you please show me what love is?” He turned away, expecting her to laugh at him. After a half minute of silence, he turned back to see the Princess of Love giving him a confused expression. “You want to know what love is?” she asked. “I thought you already knew it.” “Well, contrary to popular belief, I don’t.” Discord replied honestly. “In the past, I thought love is when you hold your hooves and stare lovingly at each other and make kissy faces.” he bit back the gag that threatened to go up his throat. “But why do you want to know what love is?” Cadence asked. The chaos lord sighed as he explained how a stallion named Meadow Brook, who happened to be a fan of Fluttershy, moved to Ponyville a couple days ago and became really close to her in a short amount of time, leaving out when he tried to use a Manticore on him and the conversation he had with Spike and Big Mac last night. He also added that he was suspicious Meadow was up to something and was using Fluttershy.. Cadence listened intently and waited until he finished before speaking up. “So you think Meadow Brook is trying to use Fluttershy for some no good reason and the only way to gain the upper hoof is by being even nicer?” “Precisely.” Discord replied with a matter-of-factly smile. “What other explanation could there be?” “Well, perhaps you’re just jealous of Fluttershy and Meadow’s friendship.” Cadence said with a knowing smile as the Draconequus immediately shook his head with a chuckle. “Cadence, Cadence, Cadence. I’m the spirit of chaos, not jealousy.” he said with an amusing grin. “Besides, I’m not jealous. I’m simply suspicious of Meadow’s true intentions.” The pink alicorn shook her head. “You can’t hide it from me, Discord. I know you feel jealous of him spending so much time with her.” “And why, pray tell, do you know that so smartly? Are you some kind of psychic?” “Not in the way you think,” Cadence replied before giving him another knowing look. “But, I think you’re here to learn about love because you secretly developed a small crush on Fluttershy.” Discord immediately shot her a glare. “I did no such thing.” he stated firmly with the stomp of his goat hoof. “Is that so? Then how do you explain your jealousy?” “I’m not jealous. Why do you ponies keep saying that?” “Because it’s obvious.” “My so-called ‘jealousy’ is nothing obvious.” Discord pouted. “Now, can you please teach me about love so that we can forget this conversation ever happened?” “I will, but I’ll need your honest answer about something.” Cadence replied as she stood up and flew down and landed in front of him. “This better not be about my ‘jealousy’ nor feelings for Fluttershy.” “Well, let me ask you this; do you want Fluttershy to be your special somepony?” “Of course not.” the chaos lord replied bluntly. “There’s no way in the wide world of Equestria a beauti- I-I mean heroic pony like Fluttershy would ever like a reformed villain like me.” He felt that familiar twinge of pain but thankfully didn’t twitch. Cadence looked at him as she suddenly felt herself pitying him. ‘Does he really think that?’ Being the Princess of Love, she always thought no matter who it was and their past, everyone deserved to have somepony to love. Hearing Discord saying that he didn’t want anypony to love him despite his past caused a sense of confusion and sympathy to well up within her. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing he came here for advice.’ she thought to herself. ‘If he believes Fluttershy will never love him, then he’ll never truly be happy in life.’ That’s when an idea popped up in her mind. ‘Perhaps all he needs is a small push. Showing him what love is will probably change his mind.’ “Cadence?” She shook her head and snapped out of her thoughts as she looked to see Discord waving his eagle claw in front of her eyes. “Hello, Equestria to Cadence!” he said a little louder. “Oh, s-sorry.” she apologized as the Draconequus pulled back to his full height. “So…about those lessons,” he said hopefully. “Will you have the honor of being my teacher?” “Discord, it would be my honor to teach you about love.” Cadence said proudly as she smiled up at him. “Huzzah!” She suddenly found herself standing in front of a chalkboard as she turned to see Discord sitting on an office chair in front of a school classroom desk. A notebook, pencil, and eraser were placed proudly on the desktop. “What?” the Draconequus shrugged innocently. “If I’m going to be your student, we have to make our environment a little more ‘learny.’” The love princess looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes with a smile and levitating a chalk stick up to the chalkboard. “So, do you know what love is?” “When you make love to each other and kiss like crazy?” Discord answered, shuddering at the thought. Cadence let out a giggle, finding his lack of knowledge on the subject she knew would make him happy to be rather amusing. “Not always. Love is when you care for someone deeply because you choose to do so.” “Mmm-hmm.” The disharmony spirit hummed half-mindedly as he opened his notebook to the first page and wrote down what she said before looking back up at her. “And what are the different forms of love?” She was happy that he wasn’t doing anything that made it look like he was disinterested. “Well there’s friendship love, love for everyone, long standing love, love on the shelf, obsessive love, romantic love, and eros. “Eros? What’s that?” “Well…” the love princess hesitated for a moment before moving over to him and indicating that he leaned in for her to whisper in his ear. He did so as he listened to what she said before widening his eyes and pulling away. “Eww.” he shuddered. “There’s no way I’ll ever be like that, especially with Fluttershy.” “Well, I’m glad that you think that.” she smiled at him. “But it could happen. When romantic couples get married, they h-” “Yes yes, I get the idea.” Discord interrupted, not at all wanting to hear what she would’ve said as he teleported her back to her spot in front of the chalkboard. “Anyway, what do you do when you…love somepony?” She looked at him for a moment before continuing. “When you love somepony, you find yourself caring about them immensely. You care less about yourself and more about your friends, family, and your special somepony.” As Cadence continued her lesson, Discord found himself drifting away from his note taking and towards an out of nowhere daydream. In his little mental image, he and Fluttershy were sitting in the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen in her entire life. He brought them there to celebrate their anniversary of being friends, to which she was extremely grateful for. He made her a little friendship crown out of white and pink flowers that he thought would make her beautiful and placed it on her head before summoning a mirror and showing her reflection. Once she saw her reflection, she was amazed by the crown and thanked him with a hug and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. Discord was surprised by her reaction as she giggled at him before sitting back down against the ground and nuzzling his side. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but that little kiss on his cheek made him feel warm and fuzzy, as if he were a stuffed animal who got loved by the most beautiful filly in the world and treasured. Yes, that’s how he felt about the kiss. He liked it. No, he loved it. “Discord!” He jumped at the sudden voice as he snapped out of his thoughts and looked to see Cadence giving him a stern expression. “Pay attention.” she reprimanded him. “Oh, y-yeah yeah, sorry.” the Draconequus stammered slightly as he corrected his posture. “What were you daydreaming about that left you so distracted?” Discord suddenly felt nervous. “Umm, well…” What could he tell her? That he and Flutttershy were having a lovely picnic together and she kissed him when he made her a flower crown? ‘No, don’t tell her!’ his mind screamed at him. ‘Cadence will just make fun of you.’ “Discord?” He looked to see the love princess walking over to him. “Y-yes?” he said hesitantly. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Cadence asked, a look of concern washed over her face, surprising the Draconequus. “You do know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?” “I can?” he asked in surprise. “Of course you can. We’re friends.” He was even more surprised. “We are?” “Why not?” she smiled at him. “You were one of the saviors that rescued us from the Changelings, so I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.” “What about your husband?” He looked around for him. “Speaking of which, where is he?” “Shining’s training some of the guards.” Cadence replied. “As for how he views you, he still doesn’t trust you, but he’s less suspicious of you.” “Okay?” Discord raised a brow at her. “Anyway, why are you declaring we’re friends? Especially after how I third-wheeled your day out with Twilight that one time?” “Because I know that you’ve been making progress since your betrayal to Tirek.” she replied. The chaos lord winced at that memory as she continued. “While you haven’t been the most mature of reformed villains, you’ve been striding to do more good instead of evil. You still make a ton of mistakes, but nopony’s perfect.” “Are you saying you like me as a friend because I’m a goofball?” Discord asked. Cadence giggled. “No, silly. I’m saying that I want to be your friend because I think you’re a wonderful and funny person to be around. Plus, what’s wrong with having more than one friend?” she smiled at him. The Draconequus felt a smile pull at his lips. “Well…nothing. Nothing that I know of.” he held out his lion paw. “Friends?” “Friends.” They shook hooves/paws as the Princess of Love smiled at him. “You see? That is an example of friendship love.” “I see.” Discord noted. “And…” the pink alicorn gave him a knowing look. “The love that you share between Fluttershy is-” “The same thing.” he cut her off with an irritated look. “She and I are just friends, as I said a few times before.” “Come on, Discord. I can tell that you have a small crush on her, I am the Princess of Love after all. Besides, Why else would you increase your visits with her?” “As a matter of fact, I have an extremely good reason.” Discord said with a smirk. “You know that Chrysalis is still on the run, right?” “Yes?” Cadence raised a brow at him. “But what does that have to do with anything?” “Everything. I’m increasing my visits to Fluuttershy so that I can protect her when that bug queen returns.” he smirked victoriously, proud at how convincing that sounded. “While that is a good point, I’m afraid that I have to dissuade your claim.” the Princess of Love said as she smiled teasingly at him. “Either way, I think it’s cute that you care about Fluttershy so much you’d increase your visits to protect her.” “Cute?” Discord uttered in disbelief, earning a small giggle from Cadence. “Cute?!” he roared as he shot a fierce glare at her. “Listen here, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Fluttershy and I are just friends, and that’s how things will stay. As for how much I care about her, it’s not cute. It’s like a friend for a friend, nothing more nothing less. Besides, what good is there in falling in love and going out on dates and getting married and spending the rest of your lives together…” His voice trailed off as he began to imagine himself and Fluttershy going out on dates of their choice. An unexpected smile formed on his mouth as he imagined themselves enjoying all the romantic times they would share together in the future, laughing at each other’s jokes, playing games together, holding each other close in a warm embrace, leaning towards each other’s faces and kissing… His smile became dreamy as he imagined a wedding between himself and Fluttershy. He could already see her in the most beautiful wedding dress anypony could ever make. They would say their vows, share a kiss at the end, dance together, toss the bouquet of flowers to the next bride in line, go on their honeymoon, and then return to the Castle of Chaos, where they would spend the rest of their days together. They could even start a family and raise a couple of kids, adopted or ones of their own. Discord shook out of his trance immediately as regained his posture. “As I said before, Fluttershy and I are just friends, and she’d never want to tie herself to a beast like me” he said in denial as he felt that familiar twinge of pain. While it didn’t physically hurt, it mentally hurt. Despite that, he ignored the feeling. He felt a hoof on his arm as he looked up to see Cadence giving him a comforting look. “Discord, you don’t have to doubt yourself so much.” she spoke in a comforting motherly tone. “I have no doubt that Fluttershy would love to spend the rest of her life with you.” “You don’t have to talk to me like that, you know.” said the Draconequus. “Anyway, we can't be together, even if it were to turn out she’s in love with me. It wouldn’t work out between us.” “Why not?” “Well, you should know my situation.” he replied, irritation and annoyance creeping into his tone. “While Fluttershy and I will remain friends for a really long time, which I’m perfectly fine with without anything changing our friendship, she’ll soon grow old and die, leaving me by myself for the rest of my immortal life. It’s just like you and your husband but with romance and what not. You’ll have your daughter and Twilight, who are also immortal like you, but you’ll be all alone without your soul mate.” “I know.” Cadence said sadly as she frowned at the image sprung upon her. “Shining Armor and I actually talked about it, and he said that he’ll always be with me even after he passes away.” a smile of sadness and grief formed on her lips as she looked up at the chaos lord. “And I’m certain Fluttershy will say the same thing, whether you both remain friends or become something more.” Discord looked at her for a moment. It definitely sounded like something the Element of Kindness would say to him, even if he wasn’t saddened by the prospect of her passing away decades in the culture. ‘Nevertheless, we’ll stay friends.’ he thought. “Now Discord, I want to ask you something and I need you to answer me as honestly as you can.” The love princess got his attention as he looked at her. “What is it?” he softly asked. “How do you feel when you’re around Fluttershy?” “Well…” a small smile tugged at his mouth. “It’s funny, really. Whenever I see her, I can’t help but feel happy, like I’m comfortable around her. Every Tuesday, we have a tea party where we share what’s been going on during the week and I get the chance to be myself around her. I enjoy hearing her laugh and seeing her smile everytime we see each other, even in between our tea parties. The one thing I like about her is that she always sees the good in me and the benefit of the doubt when other ponies don’t, and her friends are examples of them.” Discord paused as an image of the yellow Pegasus mare formed in his mind, causing his smile to grow. “I enjoy making her laugh. It’s such a pretty sound to listen to, and it makes me proud to know that I have somepony who doesn’t resent me for my past. While Fluttershy is stubborn and somewhat of a hothead when something happens to her friends, she can be brave, smart, and super caring to those she loves.” He frowned as he gave Cadence a confused look. “Why do you ask?” “Because I can help you.” she replied. “Help me?” Cadence nodded. “I can help you win Fluttershy’s heart if you’ll allow me to do so.” The Draconequus refused. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want Fluttershy to be my marefriend.” “Why not?” “As I stated before, we’re just friends. She's kind and I’m chaotic, she’s one of the heroes of Equestria while I’m just a reformed villain who doesn’t know everything about friendship.” Cadence looked at him for a moment before saying, “I’m certain Fluttershy will prefer you as yourself, even with your bad past.” Discord let out an irritated sigh. “Look, can we please return to the lesson? I won’t be able to look better than Meadow Brook if you keep pestering me about my so-called ‘crush’ on Fluttershy.” “But wouldn’t it-” “Helooo? You’ve got a student waiting for his lessons here!” The Princess of Love wanted to continue to reason with him, but knew that they were wasting time debating on whether or not the chaos lord had a crush on Fluttershy. Letting out a defeated sigh, she said, “Alright, I’ll drop the subject and we’ll continue the lesson.” “Good.” Discord nodded. In her mind, Cadence let out an annoyed sigh. ‘That Draconequus is more stubborn than a mule.’ she thought as she continued the love lesson. Rarity levitated a dress onto a clothes rack. She made sure that it was straightened out before nodding with a satisfied smile. “There, all done.” She turned and looked around her room. There were four other clothes racks all filled to the brim with dresses of different styles and colors. On her bed were several suitcases, a few of them were overflowing with different items and clothing that the Element of Generosity thought she needed. A knock on her bedroom door got her attention as she looked to see Sweetie Belle entering the room. “I’m all packed up.” she said. “That’s great, Sweetie,” her older sister smiled at her as she stood up from her work stool. “And Thank you for staying at Sweet Apple Acres while I’m at Canterlot Carousel organizing all these dresses.” “You’re welcome, but are you sure I can’t come with you? I can help.” “I appreciate your selflessness darling, but I’m sticking with my decision. I would let you stay home alone, but you can’t even cook for yourself. Not to mention I can’t fully trust you with taking care of Opal.” “I understand.” Sweetie Belle said without disappointment. “It’s great that me and the Crusaders get to have a sleepover together, but I’m really gonna miss you.” Rarity smiled sweetly at her as she embraced her. “Oh Sweetie, I’ll miss you too.” They broke the embrace as the unicorn filly asked, “Do you at least want some help with taking your things to the train station? I don’t think you want to carry all your luggage and dresses all at once.” She did make a good point, Rarity nodded to herself. Even with her magic she wasn’t strong enough to pull her dress racks and carry her luggage without struggle. If only there was someone she knew who was strong enough to at least carry her bags while she pulled her dress racks. That would make her work load a lot lighter. Rarity perked up suddenly before addressing her little sister. “Sweetie Belle, I’ll be right back. I just need to drop Opal off at Fluttershy’s a little earlier than expected.” “Oh…well, okay.” the unicorn filly said as the Element of Generosity trotted downstairs and found her beloved pet cat sleeping on her fainting couch. Rarity lit up her horn and levitated the now protesting feline inter her pet carrier as she stepped outside her home and quickly trotted to Fluttershy’s cottage. Upon reaching it, she knocked on the door and waited for a few moments before the door opened, revealing the Element of Kindness as she smiled at her friend. “Hi Rarity. What’s going on?” “I’m going to be at Canterlot Carousel for a couple days and I was wondering if you would take care of Opal for me.” Rarity explained. “Of course. I’d be happy to.” Fluttershy smiled as the pet carrier levitated down to her side. She opened the gate and allowed the white cat to step out and stretch before rubbing her head against her hoof with a purr. “Thank you, darling. I’ll be back on Wednesday.” “Okay, and have a nice trip.” “I will.” Rarity smiled at her before turning and trotting back into Ponyville. She went over to the path that led to the Castle of Friendship as she trotted up to the front doors of the large magnificent structure and knocked on them. Meanwhile inside the castle, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Sunset, and Flash Sentry were all in the dining room eating plates of waffles with strawberries and blueberries on top. “These waffles are really tasty, Twilight.” said Sunset. “I know you’re an expert on friendship, but I never knew you were a great cook.” “Thanks, Sunset.” Twilight said with modesty. “I’ve been taking a few cooking lessons with Pinkie, and Spike and I sometimes cook together.” “They seemed to have paid off,” said Flash as he smiled at her. “I really need to eat your waffles more often.” She felt a giddy feeling brew within her. ‘Does Flash really like my cooking?’ she thought to herself, finding it both exciting and hard to believe before swallowing her food and sending him a smile. “I’m glad you think so, Flash, and I actually plan on making pancakes for dinner tonight.” “That sounds delicious.” said Starlight as she took a bite of her waffle. Suddenly, faint knocking could be heard throughout the castle as everyone paused their movement. “I’ll get it.” said Spike as he placed his fork down on his plate and stood up. “Don’t worry Spike, I got this.” Flash said as he stood up and made his way to the doors to the dining room. “Are you sure? I can always answer the door for you so that you can continue eating.” Flash chuckled. “I appreciate it, but as a guard, it’s my duty to make sure whoever’s at the door isn’t here to cause any trouble.” “He does make a good point.” said Starlight as she took another bite out of her waffle. “Aw, what the heck.” Spike shrugged as he sat down and sent the Pegasus guard a smile. He smiled back with a salute as he flew out of the dining room and up to the front doors of the Castle of Friendship. Once he landed in front of them, he opened one of them, revealing none other than the bearer of the Element of Generosity. “Hello Flash Sentry.” Rarity smiled at him. “Is Spike here by any chance?” “He’s in the dining room with Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset.” Flash replied. “Want me to take you to him?” “I would be most grateful if you did.” The Pegasus guard opened the door further and allowed the white unicorn to enter the castle as he closed the doors and walked with her to the dining room. “So,” Rarity spoke up, choosing an icebreaker to prevent an awkward silence. “What do you think of Twilight?” “Hm?” Flash turned his gaze to her. “Oh! Twilight’s a really strong and courageous princess, and she’s a really powerful magic user. I can see why Princess Celestia chose her to be her personal student.” “Twilight is one of the best, but that’s not what I meant. What I meant was, do you like her?” He frowned in thought. “Well…she’s good company, and she’s really nice to me.” “I see.” Rarity noted. Being the romantic she was, she had a tendency to ship her friends with the stallions she knew they’d like. “Why do you ask?” asked Flash as he raised a brow at her. “Oh just a little conversation to prevent an awkward silence.” the Element of Generosity replied nonchalantly. “And look! We’ve reached the dining room.” True to her word, they were trotting up to the doors to the castle meal room. “Wait here.” Flash said as he opened the door and peaked in, gaining the attention of everyone who was still eating. “Hey Spike? There’s someone here to see you.” “Who is it?” the purple asked as the Pegasus guard opened the door further, allowing a certain white unicorn mare to enter. “Rarity!” Spike exclaimed happily as he stood up and rushed over to her, embracing her in a warm hug. “It’s good to see you too, Spikey-wikey.” she smiled as she hugged him back before they broke the embrace. “You all as well, girls.” “What brings you here, Rarity?” asked Twilight. “I’m actually in need of Spike if it’s alright with you.” “Me?” Spike looked at her curiously as they broke the embrace. “What’s going on?” “I need to take some dresses to my boutique in Canterlot, but I overpacked and I need someone to carry my luggage.” Rarity explained before turning to the Princess of Friendship. “Is it alright if I bring Spike with me, Twilight?” “I don’t see why not, but what do you think Spike?” the purple alicorn looked at her number one assistant. “Do you want to go with her?” “Yeah!” Spike replied almost immediately before clearing his throat. “I mean, I’d be honored to travel with you, Rarity.” “But finish your breakfast first.” Twilight said as she pointed to the half-eaten waffle next to her. “Oops, right.” the purple dragon rushed back over as he sat down and ate the rest of his waffle quickly. He gulped it down and drank all his water as he let out a pleased sigh. “All done.” The Princess of Friendship looked between him and his now empty plane and glass before letting out a sigh. When it came to being with his crush, there were no delays. “Go and pack your things.” “Yes ma’am!” Spike saluted as he stood up and rushed out of the dining room. Rarity stepped out and looked in the direction he went, surprised to see his running speed was faster than usual. ‘My goodness, when did he get so fast?’ she thought to herself. ‘Rainbow Dash would surely be impressed.’ Then again, she was impressed. It wasn’t that long ago Spike was slower than her and the others, not to mention he wasn’t as strong. He really is growing up. The purple dragon returned not too long afterwards wearing a purple and green backpack. “All packed!” “Already?” Rarity said in surprise. “What did you plan on bringing?” “Just ten of my Power Pony comics and my, um…” he hesitated as he cleared his throat. “Stuffed doll.” “You have a stuffed doll?” “Y-yeah.” the purple dragon admitted, too embarrassed to tell her what it looks like. “Anyway, let’s go.” “Hold on just one second, Spike.” Twilight spoke up from inside the dining room. “Don’t even think about leaving without saying goodbye.” Spike chuckled sheepishly. “Oops.” He went back inside and embraced his caretaker. “I’ll miss you, Twilight.” “I’ll miss you too,” the Princess of Friendship smiled as she hugged him back before breaking the embrace. Spike turned his attention to the two unicorns present as he went over and pulled them into a group hug. “I’ll see you both soon.” “Have fun, Spike.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “Be sure to tell Celestia I said hi.” “Will do.” “And be safe.” added Starlight. “I will.” Spike chuckled as he broke the embrace and went over to Flash Sentry. “I’ll be back soon.” “Don’t hurry,” Flash smiled at him as they hoof bumped. “We still got a ton of Power Pony comics to read.” “I’ll be slow.” Spike stepped out of the dining room. “Ready.” he nodded at Rarity. “Alright, now let’s move post haste.” Rarity smiled at him as they walked down the hallways of the Castle of Friendship. “The train will be arriving at the station within the hour.” They exited the regal structure and returned to Carousel Boutique as they went up to her room and entered it. “Is that all you’re taking?” Spike asked as he pointed to the luggage on her bed. “Yes.” Rarity nodded. ‘I really need to consider packing a lot lighter.’ she added in her mind as the purple dragon went up to her bed and scooped all her suitcases into his arms. “All good.” Spike said as he moved to the doorway. “What about you?” “I am as well.” the white unicorn said as she lit up her horn and followed him out her room and down the stairs, pulling all five dress racks with her without struggle. “Hold on while I lock the front door.” “Sure thing.” nodded Spike as they stepped out of the building. Rarity was the last one to exit as she closed the front door before out a key from underneath the welcome mat and locked the door. She then placed the key back where it belonged as she and Spike went towards the train station. “Spike?” He turned to look at her. “Y-yeah?” he grunted. “Are you faring well? All those bags can get quite heavy.” said Rarity as she gave him a concerned look. “We can always take a break if you need to.” “No thanks, I'm fine.” Spike declined. “Either way, I don’t want you to miss the train.” “That’s thoughtful, but we’ve got plenty of time. Besides, your legs are shaking.” True to her word, his legs were indeed wobbling from the immense weight of the luggage he was carrying. Spike knew that she was right but chose to hide his discomfort. “No no no, I’m fine,” he said. “Besides, we’re almost at the station.” True to his word, they were no more than 10 hoofsteps away from the train station Rarity looked at him for a moment before shrugging as they stepped onto the steps and stepped onto the platform of the train station. She paid for her ticket and bought Spike one of his own as they moved over to the waiting area. Once they got there, the purple dragon placed the luggage onto the ground and collapsed onto the bench as he let out an exhausted sigh. “See? Nothing to it.” he smiled at the Element of Generosity. She looked at him for a moment and noticed that he was massaging his arm and shoulder muscles. While she was grateful that he was making things easier for her, she couldn’t help but feel bad that he was hauling all those bags and making him feel sore and tired. Before she could open her mouth and say anything, a distant train whistle caught her and Spike’s attention as they looked to their left and saw a steam engine pulling fifteen passenger cars towards the station. “That must be us.” said Spike as he stood back up and scooped all of Rarity’s luggage into his arms. The train pulled into the station and stopped as the doors on the doored cars opened, allowing the dozens of passengers to disperse off of the train. Once the crowd cleared somewhat, Spike and Rarity entered the train and found an empty train car with plenty of room for all her dresses and baggage. He placed her bags down on an empty spot of the train car while she pulled her dress racks into empty rows in front of other seats. Once that was done, they took a seat on the right side of the car with Spike being next to the window and the Element of Generosity next to him. “Thank you again for coming, Spike.” she said as she smiled at him. “You really are my favorite dragon.” Spike blushed with a shy smile. “Y-you’re welcome.” The sound of the train whistle could be heard followed by the conductor shouting, “All aboard! Next stop: Canterlot.” The doors closed as the train slowly pulled out of the Ponyville train station and was now heading towards the capital city of Equestria. Back in the Castle of Friendship, Twilight, Sunset, Starlight, and Flash Sentry finished their breakfast together and were exiting the castle dining room. Flash had to go to his post outside the library but thanked Twilight for the breakfast, earning a somewhat nervous “you’re welcome” from her. Despite being a little confused and a tad bit concerned at her awkwardness, he shrugged it off and went to his guarding post. “Thanks again for the waffles, Twilight.” said Sunset. “I forgot how delicious waffles could be.” “Thanks, Sunset. I’m really glad you loved them” Twilight smiled at her. “But anyway, is there something you’d like to do today before you return to the other world tomorrow?” “Well…actually, there is.” “What is it?” asked Starlight. “I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days, but I want to go to Canterlot and apologize to Princess Celestia for abandoning my studies.” Sunset replied. “I wanted to do it earlier but I was too nervous.” “It’s nothing to feel nervous about,” said Twilight. “I’ve been writing to Celestia about how much you’ve improved since you stole my crown and she’s really impressed.” “Really?” “Yeah. I can take you to the castle to talk with her if you want.” “Um…” Sunset thought for a moment. While she truly did want to make amends with the Princess of the Sun, she was worried about what could happen. Would Celestia be upset at her for her past behavior and punish her? Would she officially get expelled from the School of Gifted Unicorns? Would she face a trial for stealing Twilight’s crown? The more worryful thoughts filled her mind, the more she felt more and more unsure. “Sunset?” She snapped out of her thoughts and looked to see Twilight and Starlight giving her concerned looks. “Are you sure you want to see Celestia today?” asked the Princess of Friendship. “You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it.” “Oh…u-um I do.” Sunset said nervously as she forced a smile upon her lips. “I’m just a little nervous.” “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Celestia’s one of the nicest mares in all of Equestria, and I’m more than certain she’ll forgive you for your past transactions.” “Even if I tell her about what happened when you and Spike first went to the mirror world?” Starlight spoke up. “What exactly happened that day? I don’t believe you told me when we first met.” “Oh, sorry.” Sunset apologized as she explained everything that happened when Twilight and Spike chased after her into the mirror world, bringing up memories she deeply regretted. “I sometimes felt as if I didn't deserve to have any friends, but Twilight showed me otherwise.” The Princess of Friendship smiled at her as she placed her foreleg around the yellow unicorn’s shoulder. “Nopony deserves to be without any friends, no matter what sins they commit.” “What about Discord?” “Well…” Twilight pulled her foreleg away. “I do want to be friends with him, but he’s a little too…” “Annoying?” Sunset finished. The purple alicorn nodded her head. “Yeah.” “But anyway,” Starlight cut in. “If you want, Sunset, me and Twilight could come with you to Canterlot.” “Really?” Sunset looked at her with surprise. “Why not? I haven’t been there before and it’ll be a great opportunity to have a look around.” “Well…” the yellow unicorn thought for a moment before a smile slowly crept onto her mouth. “I don’t see why not.” she looked over at the alicorn princess standing with them. “What about you, Twilight?” “I’d love to go with you.” Twilight smiled. “And I can even teleport us to save time and-” Knock knock knock! Her speech was interrupted by the faint knocking from the front doors to the castle. “Excuse me for a moment.” She lit up her horn and teleported down to the doors as she used her magic to open them, revealing none other than Meadow Brook. “Hi Twilight.” he smiled at her before bowing. “Hi Meadow. You don’t have to bow, you know.” she said as he rose back to his full height and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but I was wondering if you could show me something.” “What is it?” “Can you show me the Tree of Harmony?” She was a little surprised by his question. “You want to see the Tree of Harmony?” “I do.” Meadow nodded. “I know this is sudden and a little surprising for you, but I’m really curious about it. I heard someone briefly mentioning it when I was on my way to Sweet Feather Sanctuary and I thought I’d ask you about it.” Twilight studied him for a moment. While she felt like she could trust him in showing where the Elements of Harmony are stored, she felt as if there were another reason going on; something that she should feel concerned for. Nevertheless, he was new in Ponyville and was just an ordinary Pegasus stallion, not a villain with a sinister plot. She smiled at him and said, “I don’t see any harm in showing you the Tree, but you have to promise not to tell anypony where it is or anything about it.” “I promise.” Meadow said as he made a crossing motion across his chest. “Good. Just give me a moment and I’ll be back out.” Twilight said as she opened the doors further. “You can come in, you know.” The light brown Pegasus obliged as he stepped inside the Castle of Friendship and waited besides the doors. The Princess of Friendship closed them as she lit up her horn and teleported back to where Starlight and Sunset were waiting. “Who was at the door?” asked Starlight. “It was just Meadow.” replied Twilight. “He wants to see the Tree of Harmony and I agreed to take him.” “The what?” Sunset asked in confusion. “The Tree of Harmony. It’s where the Elements of Harmony are being stored.” “Do you think I can see it too?” Twilight thought for a moment. It seemed that Meadow wasn’t the only one who was interested in seeing it, but she trusted Sunset and knew she could keep the Tree a secret. Nodding to herself, she turned to the yellow unicorn. “Of course you can come, Sunset.” Twilight said as she turned to Starlight. “You can come too, Starlight. It’s about time I finally show you the Tree of Harmony too.“ “Alright.” the light purple unicorn said in agreement as the trio lit up their horns and teleported to the front doors, startling Meadow in the process. “It’s good to see you again, Meadow.” said Sunset. “I hope you don’t mind, but Twilight invited me and Starlight to come with you both.” “Hi Sunset, you too Starlight. I don’t mind if you too came along.” said Meadow as he smiled at the two unicorn mares. “Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s get going.” Twilight said as she used her magic to open the doors and stepped outside with the group. She then closed the doors as she led the group through Ponyville and up to the path that led into the Everfree Forest. “I hope nothing attacks us.” said Meadow as the quartet entered the dark and murky woods. “Don’t worry, Meadow. Fluttershy told Twilight and the girls that Discord enchanted the path to prevent any of the creatures in the Everfree from attacking anypony that goes in and out of the forest using the path to his castle.” said Starlight. “Even if a Timberwolf launches at us, it’ll just shatter into a pile of twigs and leaves.” “If you say so.” Meadow said unsurely as they continued down the path. While he used to live near a forest back at his old home, he heard about the Everfree and all its dangers. ‘I hope you’re right.’ he thought to himself, feeling more nervous than ever. “Who do I see coming towards me?” The group stopped their trek as they saw a Zebra trotting up the path towards them. “Zecora!” Twilight exclaimed as she smiled at the witchdoctor. “Greetings, Princess Twilight and Starlight, it’s good to see you both in the morning light.” Zecora smiled at them before looking at a yellow unicorn mare and light brown Pegasus stallion she never saw before. “And who are these two that accompany you?” “I’m Meadow Brook, but you can just call me Meadow.” said Meadow. “And I’m Sunset Shimmer, but you can call me Sunset for short.” added Sunset. “It’s nice to meet you two.” Zecora said as she shook their hooves. “And perhaps you can explain what you’re accompanying the princess and her former student to pursue.” “I’m just showing them the Tree of Harmony.” replied Twilight. “What about you? Where are you going?” “I’m just heading into town to get some more supplies, more herbs and liquids to help me visualize.” said Zecora. “They will help me provide more cures, to those who need medicine oh so pure.” “Well, don’t let us get in your way.” said Meadow as he moved to the side. “Have a nice day.” he paused, realizing that he just said a rhyme without any trouble at all. “I will and I wish the same for you four, and be sure to stop by outside my front door.” Zecora smiled at them as she continued in the opposite direction. “How does she do that?” asked Sunset as the group continued through the Everfree. “I want to know that too.” added Meadow. “I mean, is Zecora some kind of a poet? How does she rhyme like that?” Twilight giggled. “No, and I even wonder how she does that as well. But anyway, we’re almost at the Tree.” They continued along the path until they came into a clearing, revealing the bridge that led to Discord’s castle and the former Castle of the Two Sisters. Meadow and Sunset looked up at the large stony structure in a mixture of awe and slight intimidation. “Why are we out here?” asked Sunset. “Aren’t we going to the Tree of Harmony?” “We are. It’s just down in a small cave in the ravine.” replied Twilight as she went over to the stairs that lead down into the small canyon. The others followed her as they reached the stony surface and went towards a glowing cave not too far away from the stairs. They entered the opening as Sunset and Meadow gasped silently in amazement as they stared up at the crystalline structure of the Tree of Harmony. “Wow.” said Sunset. “I had no idea this ever existed. Why haven’t I ever studied this back in…” her voice trailed off as the obvious answer popped up in her mind. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.” “The Tree of Harmony is so beautiful.” uttered Meadow. “How does it work?” “It’s powered by the Elements of Harmony.” replied Twilight as she flew up to the magical artifacts. “How it sprouted here I unfortunately don’t know. I tried to look into it using the old books in the Castle of the Two Sisters, but I couldn’t find anything no matter how hard I looked.” “Have you ever thought about looking into the books again?” suggest Starlight. “I have, but ever since Discord moved into the Castle of the Two Sisters, I never bothered to ask him for anything out of respect. Plus, I’m not sure what he did with the books after he made the castle his home.” “Then maybe you should ask Celestia about the Tree and see if she knows anything about it.” said Sunset. The Princess of Friendship looked at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. “That isn’t a bad idea actually.” a smile formed on her lips. “And I’m more than certain she’ll have some knowledge on it.” “Then why don’t we go ahead and go to Canterlot.” Starlight said. “Agreed.” Twilight nodded as she looked over at Meadow Brook, who appeared to be lost in a trance as he stared up at the Tree of Harmony. She could’ve sworn she saw his eyes briefly turn a dark shade of red before returning to their usual light brown color. “Meadow?” He snapped out of his trance as he looked to see the three mares staring at him. “O-oh, sorry.” he smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. “The Tree of Harmony’s just a really beautiful tree. I guess I got pretty distracted, huh?” “It’s nothing to apologize for.” Twilight smiled at him. “But we have to get back to Ponyville so that me and the others can go to Canterlot.” The light brown Pegasus’s eyes widened as he looked at her apologetically. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t waste your time.” “It’s no trouble, Meadow. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything.” said Starlight. “Starlight's right.” Sunset nodded. “Let’s get going.” The others nodded in agreement as they turned and left the cave. Meadow hung back for a moment as he stole another glance at the Tree of Harmony before following the girls as they went up the stairs and through the Everfree Forest. Soon, they arrived back at Ponyville. “Thanks again for showing me the Tree of Harmony, your highness.” said Meadow as he smiled gratefully at the Princess of Friendship. “And I promise to keep it a secret.” “You’re welcome, and thanks for keeping the Tree a secret.” Twilight smiled at him. “Have a nice day.” “You too, and it was nice seeing you both, Starlight and Sunset.” “It was nice seeing you too, Meadow.” said Starlight. “Same here.” Sunset nodded in agreement as both unicorns followed Twilight back to the Castle of Friendship. Meadow waved after them until they disappeared. Once they were gone, he turned and went towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary. ‘I can’t believe the Tree of Harmony actually exists, and to top it all off, it’s where the Elements of Harmony are being stored.’ he thought to himself as his smile became more of a sinister smile. ‘After all this time, this is where they’ve been hidden.’ His eyes turned dark red for a moment before returning to their natural color as his smile returned to normal and continued towards the animal sanctuary. Discord rested his head on his desk with a tired expression as he listened to Cadence's lecture about love. They’ve been going at this for nearly an hour and he felt as if he were about to fall asleep. Who knew learning like this was so boring? His eyelids began to droop as he sat up and shook his head fiercely. ‘No! I won’t fall asleep. If I do, I’ll never know how to look better than Meadow Brook.’ he thought to himself, determined to not let the dream realm take him away. Unfortunately, his boredom seemed to take a further toll on his attention to the Princess of Love as he let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He shook his head again, this time making it longer before stopping and staring straight at Cadence unblinking. As if a sleeping spell had been casted upon him, he felt his eyelids begin to droop as his head slowly began to lower before the chaos lord reached up with his eagle claw and slapped his left cheek. ‘Stay awake, you idiot!’ he snapped to himself. ‘This isn’t the time to act like a bored teenage High Schooler, but the time to act like the adult you are.’ He nearly snickered to himself as a small smile formed on his mouth. ‘Then again, I never was the most mature of males.’ “When you love somepony, you don’t do an endless amount of things to impress them, but actions that mean a lot to them.” lectured Cadence. “When me and Shining Armor started dating, all he did was take me out on a lot of dinner dates and gave me lots of jewelry and love cards…” Her voice was tuned out by Discord as he felt his eyes dropping close and let out a yawn before shaking out of his trance, smiling to himself at how resistant he was being. ‘There’s no way I’ll ever…ever…’ Whatever he was going to think disappeared as he collapsed his head down on his desk without any resistance and closed his eyes, immediately drifting off into a peaceful slumber. He soon found himself in a beautiful meadow surrounded with flowers and fluttering butterflies as he looked down to see that he was sitting on a picnic blanket with a picnic basket in the center of it. A hum of pleasure filled his ears as he turned to his left to see Fluttershy taking a bite of one of his homemade chocolate cupcakes. “Oh Discord, your cupcakes are so good.” she said as she smiled up at him. Discord puffed out his chest in pride. “Why thank you, Fluttershy. Hearing your praise makes my day.” She continued to eat the cupcake at a surprisingly faster pace, impressing the Draconequus. This mare sure did have a gluttonous appetite for his tasty treats, not that he had a problem with it. After finishing, the yellow Pegasus let out a burp as she put a hoof to her mouth and blushed. “Oh, excuse me.” she looked up at her chaotic friend with guilt. Discord laughed. “Oh relax, my dear. You’re excused.” She felt a smile pull at her lips as a butterfly fluttered in front of her and landed on her nose. “Oh, hello there.” she spoke softly, being careful to not startle it off. “Are you looking for any nectar?” The butterfly nodded as more flew over to her, some were even landing on her as she began to giggle. “Oh my, hehe, that tickles. You’re all tickling me.” she said as she fought the urge to squirm. “Really?” Discord looked at her with amusement. “Perhaps they think you’re a flower.” “I-I’m not.” Fluttershy giggled. “Discord, help me.” “Help? But I’m just beginning to enjoy your laughter, my dear.” “Please, make them stop, please!” she begged as her laughter increased two-fold. “Oh, but I fail to see how I can help.” The chaos lord suddenly grew lots of flowers materialized all over his body, completely unknown to him. The butterflies that were tickling Fluttershy flew off of her and onto him instead as she looked at him, finding his flowery body to be both funny and beautiful. “Thank you.” she smiled at him as she began to giggle once more. “What’s so funny?” Discord asked in confusion as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Your body. It’s covered in lots of flowers.” He was even more confused as he looked down at himself, realizing that she was right. Many small flowers of several kinds and types bloomed proudly on his draconic body as they attracted tons of butterflies from around the meadow. “The butterflies like you.” Fluttershy smiled. Discord faked a gasp of shock before grinning at his Pegasus friend. “Why Fluttershy, it appears that you’re right!” “Discord…” “I am quite the attractive Draconequus if I do say so myself, considering I have a lot of ways to charm even the most beautiful of mares like you.” he ended that last part in a purr-like tone as Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane. “Oh…I’m not that pretty.” she mumbled. “Oh please,” Discord scoffed. “You’re a natural beauty, and I’m more than certain you’re more attractive than Celestia.” “Discord.” The yellow Pegasus looked up at him. “Do you…really think I’m…attractive?” “I really do.” Discord smiled warmly at her. She smiled shyly as she looked away from him. “Thank you.” “DISCORD!” The chaos lord’s eyes immediately snapped open as he sat up, startled by the loud echoing call of his voice. He looked to see Cadence standing in front of his desk with a disappointed glare upon her features. “Is the love lesson boring to you, Mr. Lord of Chaos?” she asked in a disapproving tone. “O-of course not.” Discord immediately replied. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.” The Princess of Love looked at it for a moment before saying, “If you say so. But please pay attention and try to get a good night's rest tonight.” “Yes Cadence.” the Draconequus rolled his eyes. “Can you at least tell me what you were dreaming about?” He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you ask?” “Oh, I was just curious. I mean, it’s not everyday I get to have a student only for them to fall asleep.” “If you must know, I was dreaming about spreading some harmless chaos. I was pranking lots of ponies (Celestia Included), turning my humble castle into a new series of hallways to confuse visitors, and all that.” “Then why were you muttering something about Fluttershy?” Discord’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?” “You were talking in your sleep as I was teaching, and I could hear everything you were saying.” Cadence said as she smiled slyly at him. “Is there a reason why you would dream about your first friend?” “It was unintentional.” the chaos lord immediately replied in defense. “I meant to dream about chaos, considering I find it to be very beautiful and attractive.” He internally slapped himself. ‘That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever said.’ “Uh-huh.” Cadence slowly said with a nod, her knowing expression still on her face. “If you think chaos is beautiful like you claim, then why did you say that Fluttershy was more attractive than Celestia?” Discord growled in irritation as he felt his face heat up. “It’s nothing, so drop the look and return to the lesson.” “While I would, I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no.” “And why not?” “Because you-” Her sentence was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a zipper on her mouth as it zipped shut. “If you’re going to say…it, then you’re wrong.” said Discord harshly. “I do not feel anything more towards Fluttershy, so stop bothering me with that silly question.” “Mmm mmm-” Cadence tried to speak but realized that her mouth was zipped shut. She gave him an annoyed look and pointed to her mouth as the chaos lord made the zipper disappear. “Thank you. Anyway, why are you being so in denial?” “I’m not in denial.” Discord huffed. “And you know why I don’t want to love Fluttershy romantically.” “How did you…” the Princess of Love stopped her question. “Nevermind. Anyway, I know you’re immortal and Fluttershy isn’t, but that shouldn’t stop you both from becoming more than just friends.” “Well it has, and I’m not sure that even if and only if I had feelings for her, she would’ve already found her true love, who would obviously not be me.” Cadence thought over his words for a moment. It sounded as if…wait a minute. That’s when it all made sense. “Discord.” she spoke as he looked up at him dead in the eye. “I think I know why you’re hesitant to love Fluttershy.” “To which I don’t.” he said with annoyance. “How many times must I tell you? She and I are just friends.” “You’re afraid she’ll reject you.” The Draconequus froze dead in his tracks as Cadence gave him a look that was a cross between sympathy and comfort, which irked him. “You don’t want Fluttershy to reject you, that’s why you don’t want to be more than friends with her.” the pink alicorn continued in a soft tone. “I may not know if you had any history with romantic relationships, but I do know the fear of rejection when I see it.” Discord remained silent as she continued in a comforting tone and placed a hoof on his paw. “It’s none of my business to know as much as possible about your friendship with Fluttershy, but I know for certain that she won’t reject you if you’re honest with her. If she chooses to remain friends with you, then you’ll have to accept it and move on. But if she reveals she has feelings for you, then what’ll you do?” “Um, well…” the disharmony spirit hesitated before a look of complete neutrality came across his features. “I’ll simply reject her in the nicest and politest ways possible.” “But Discord, listen to me.” Cadence pleaded. “If Fluttershy reveals her feelings for you, just give it a try and see if you both will work out.” “But I don’t want to.” Discord said coldly as he stood up and made his desk and chalkboard disappear. “I don’t love her and never will, and even if she’s in love with me, I’ll simply tell her that I’m fine with us just being friends.” “But don’t you-” “Look, Cadence. I don't want a marefriened. And that’s final.” he said sternly. “I really should’ve rethought about these love lessons.” “But Discord.” the Princess of Love tried, but he disappeared in a flash of light. “Discord!” she called out, hoping he would return, but to no avail. She let out a sigh as she went back to her throne and sat down, hoping that Discord would do the right thing and not make a grave mistake. Meanwhile at the Castle of Chaos, Discord reappeared on his thinking tree, which sprouted out of the grassy lawn in front of his castle upon sensing his presence as he sat down on one of the lower branches and growled in annoyance with a scowl. Visiting Cadence and learning about love was a huge waste of time. And to top it all off, she was comforting and sympathizing him into admitting his feelings. He let out another frustrated growl. ‘Why did I ever agree to do that in the first place?’ he thought angrily. He knew he wanted to learn love after not knowing what it is, but after knowing about it, he began to get teased about…about…having a crush on Fluttershy. The very thought of it caused a shiver to run down his spine as he let out a sigh and gazed around his garden. It had a few candy cane flower patches blooming in some spots around, something that Fluttershy would find to be funny. Fluttershy… An image of the yellow Pegasus formed in his vision as he closed his eyes. She was smiling at him with what was probably the cutest and sweetest smile he’d ever seen on her. Her mane was blowing in the and her pale yellow skin seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. A reluctant smile formed upon his lips as vision Fluttershy giggled at him. It sounded so cute, like the laugh from the angels above. “Oh Fluttershy, you’re so beautiful," he said in his mind. “Why thank you, Discord.” the Fluttershy image smiled at him. “And you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever met.” “I am?” She smiled warmly. “Of course. You’re the most fascinating being I’ve ever had the pleasure of being friends with. You’re funny, caring, gentle, and a really big sweetheart.” Discord’s smile deemed to grow as he felt a weird sensation in his chest. “Well, I have learned from the best.” he said aloud. “Am I really the best?” Image Fluttershy asked shyly. “The best out of all the ponies in the world.” She blushed an adorable shade of pink. “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.” she flew over and embraced him in a hug. While she was just an image, he felt as if he could actually feel her wrapped around his body. “Discord?” He looked down at her with a smile. “Yes, my dear?” “There’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, but I was too nervous to say anything.” “Fluttershy, you can tell me anything, and I promise to not laugh at you.” Image Fluttershy pulled away as she hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Throughout all our time together, you’ve been nothing but one of my favorite friends. You always care about me even during your spare time and never fail at making me laugh.” ‘That is true.’ Discord thought proudly. “I want to continue to do this more often. I want us to do this everyday, that way we can have even more fun and give comfort if we’re ever sad. I…I want us to be more than just friends.” The Draconequus froze. Was she about to do what he thought she was gonna do? Image Fluttershy looked away for a few moments before turning back. “I…I love you.” Discord’s eyes widened. ‘She loves me?’ This had to be some kind of a trick. After all, this was just his imagination. “I know what you’re probably thinking right now, but I really do love you.” continued Image Fluttershy as she gave him a warm look. “I know that I won’t live forever like you, but you can easily make me immortal with your magic so that we can spend all of eternity together.” “Really?” asked the Draconequus. “You actually want to spend an eternity…with me?” The image of the yellow Pegasus flew up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Of course I do, silly.” she giggled at him as she gave him a loving look. “I love you, Discord. I love you with all of my heart.” He felt a tug at his own heart, as if someone had literally touched it in the most loving of ways possible. “Nopony has ever…loved me before.” he said, feeling a lump form in his throat. “Well I do.” Image Fluttershy proudly proclaimed as she embraced him. “I love you.” “I…I…” He looked down at her and felt as if she were the only thing in the universe. She had a heart filled with pure kindness and compassion, something that he admired immensely. Was it really possible for them both to be…lovers? Discord’s eyes snapped open with a gasp. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he took in deep but shaky breaths. He tried to shake away the little story that formed in his mind, but found that he couldn’t shake away the beautiful yellow Pegasus that captured his heart. A brief blink and he could see her flying in front of her before he opened his eyes, no longer seeing her. He felt as if he missed her after being gone for a really long time before blinking again, briefly seeing her again. He wished he could see Fluttershy every day for the rest of her life or even for an eternity. Waking up together as a married couple in bed and spending lots of quiet and affectionate times together. That’s when realization struck him hard, like the lightning on Jupiter. He tried to deny it but found that he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. “I…I…I’m falling in love with her.” he uttered, his voice devoid of any emotion except for one. Disbelief. That’s why he was so jealous of Fluttershy’s friendship with Meadow Brook. He was in love with her. That’s why he was jealous of her friendship with Tree Hugger. He was falling in love with her back then. That’s why he always thought of her. He was in love with her. He sat still on his thinking tree as he lowered his head and ears, his disbelief being replaced with sadness. “A beautiful mare like Fluttershy would never love a freak like me.” Discord mumbled as storm clouds materialized above his castle and remained there, displaying his new sense of gloom and depression. To be continued… Author's Note And there you have it, folks. Our friendly neighborhood Discord has finally realized his feelings for his beloved Fluttershy (which I know is rushed, but when I news Mending Hearts: Fluttercord and Love or Power: Which Will You Choose, Discord quickly caught on to his feelings for Fluttershy and I found that to be perfectly fine). Will she feel the same way? How will Meadow Brook take it if he knows? Stay tuned and find out. I also want to apologize for the wait. I got my driver’s license yesterday and I did a TON of SAT studying, not to mention I was suffering from a writer's block, but I’m back and completed another chapter for you. Expect slower updates with my first day of school tomorrow as a 12th grader. You heard that right, my final year in grade school, and I'll be en route to George Mason University! And let me go ahead and say this: while Fluttercord will be the main shipping in this series, Rarispike/Sparity will be the secondary shopping even though Fluttercord will be the main focus. If you don’t like either shipping, then this story series isn’t the one for you. And Zecora. Whew, rhyming is so hard, and I'm not sure how she does it. She will play a minor role in this story, so if I have any rhyming errors, I sincerely apologize in advance. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, be sure to look at my other stories, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: PrologueA wagon got pulled through the hot and arid climate of the desert of Equestria as two earth pony stallions pulled it with their strength. The hot sun beating down on them as sweat dripped down their foreheads, their mouths craved for the water that they long since needed ever since entering these hot and uncomfortable conditions. As they approached the city of Saddle Arabia, they were greeted by a gray elderly unicorn mare with a white mane and tail wearing a brown cloak over herself as she smiled at the approaching stallions. “Greetings, gentlecolts,” she said to them. “I trust that your journey wasn’t too exhausting.” “Not more than usual,” the first stallion replied as he wiped sweat from his forehead. “But we sure need some water.” “Then follow me to my shop and I’ll give you both your water as well as your payment.” The elderly mare turned and led them through the streets towards a small two-storey building with desert gray bricks and a brown door. She stepped inside and allowed them to enter as one of the stallions carried a wooden crate inside and placed it down on the floor next to the check out desk. “Thank you, boys.” The elderly mare smiled at them as she levitated two jugs of water over to them as well as two bags of 20 bits. “Your delivery is greatly appreciated.” “You’re welcome ma’am.” said the second stallion as he drank his water. “What is it that my friend and I had to deliver? We weren’t told what it was, only that it was very dangerous and it was top secret.” The gray unicorn went over to the crate as she opened the lid and lifted out a glass container that had a medallion. It was gray in color and had a pitch black gem in the center that seemed to radiate what the night sky would look like without the moon and stars. “This medallion is extremely dangerous,” she explained. “All I can tell you is that it can corrupt the soul of the one who uses it and bring upon eternal darkness. The fewer that know of this, the safer Equestria is. That is why you both delivered it here.” “So that it can be stored away so nopony can take it and use it for their own selfish reasons,” concluded the first stallion. “Correct.” the unicorn mare nodded as the stallions shared a look. “And I thank you both for bringing it here once again. You both are doing Equestria a huge favor.” “Again, it’s no trouble, miss,” the second stallion smiled. “Well, we’d better get going.” “Wait.” The elderly mare held up a hoof as she levitated four more water jugs over to them. “Take these, for your journey home.” “Really? Thanks,” the first stallion said as he opened the door and pulled the wagon towards it, allowing himself and his comrade to load their wagon with the extra water and payment. “Have a safe trip home,” the elderly mare called out to the stallions as they went down the streets and eventually out of Saddle Arabia. Once they were gone, she went back inside her shop and closed the door. “Right, now to put you away with the rest of my treasures.” she said to the medallion as she lit up her horn and entered a small closet that consisted of lots of other necklaces and amulets. She placed it down on an empty spot on one of the 5 shelves available. “There you go, safe and sound.” The elderly mare said as she patted the glass protector before turning and exiting the closet, closing and locking the door. Unbeknownst to her, a pitch black shadow with red eyes and a curvy unicorn horn materialized into the darkness of the small room. It spotted the medallion that was delivered not too long ago and smiled darkly at it as the shadow lit up its horn, enveloping the magical artifact in a purple and green aura and pulling it through the glass. “At long last,” the shadow whispered in a dark and sinister tone. “After all these years, it’s finally mine.” It then lit up its horn and made an exact replica materialize in the spot where the real medallion once was before disappearing in a black poof of smoke soundlessly, letting out a low and evil chuckle. Author's Note I know this isn’t much, but I'm new at the MLP fanfiction writing and I figured you would want a small clue as to what you’re about to see. before moving on, I would love to ask you readers some questions: 1: Which episode of MLP was it where Spike tried to prevent Thorax and Ember from meeting each other and what season is it in? 2: Which episode of MLP was it where Pinkie had to set out across Equestria to please the Yaks when they visited Ponyville and got mad when they got what they didn't like? 3: Which Equestria Girls special was it where we first see Twilight's own portal to the mirror world and which season of MLP: FiM does it take plane in? Now bore you ask, YES I have watched all of MLP, including all the Equestria Girls movies. I just have a bad memory and need to hear it from all of you. Helpful comments and respectful criticism is always welcome. 😀
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 1Discord laid down in a hammock that floated in mid-air as he took a sip of some icy cold chocolate milk, causing him to shiver in response as his body got enveloped in ice for a moment before it melted away into thin air. Due to the heat wave that baked all of Equestria, the Lord of Chaos was out stretched in his garden at his castle in the Everfree Forest. The Castle of the Two Sisters was a gift to him from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in honor of helping Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Thorax save everyone from the Changelings, under condition that he contain his chaos magic within the castle grounds and not harmed anyone as well as keep an eye on the Tree of Harmony for any signs of trouble. Discord didn’t mind the old crumbly ruins of the former palace nor the requirements, mainly because he could add his own spin on it and make it a place of his own. When he moved in, he turned the castle back into what it looked like back when Celestia and Luna used to live in it on the outside, but the inside was a completely different story. The castle walls on the inside had different colors and art styles, changing to other colors and arrays of creativeness automatically whenever Discord felt like redecorating, which was every few minutes or hours. The floors were bouncy like the floor on a trampoline and could easily be bounced on by simply bouncing on it, and the gravity was only half as much inside compared to outside. Discord took another sip of his ice chocolate milk as he let out a content sigh. He summoned a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as well as a Hawaiian shirt and a large umbrella for shade and an electric fan as it blew the air around him directly at him. “Much better.” he sighed with a satisfied smile as he closed his eyes and took another sip of his drink. The sound of papery flapping could be heard as he turned to see his calendar flying towards him, clearly in an urgent state as it flapped around him frantically. “Oh what do you want?” Discord asked with a displeased tone. “I thought I made it clear to never disturb me unless it’s an emergency.” The calendar flipped its pages towards the current month of the year as Discord eyed it for a moment until it circled a certain day of the week that caused him to widen his eyes. Tuesday. Today was his weekly Tuesday Tea with Fluttershy and he nearly forgot about it. He slapped himself in the face. “I knew I was forgetting something.” Discord muttered as he made all his things and shirt disappear. “I suppose I should thank you for the interruption, but don’t ever disturb me like that again unless it’s a real emergency. Got it?” His calendar gave a swift nod as it flew back inside the castle. The Draconequus then teleported inside of the living room of Fluttershy’s cottage, which was surprisingly hot despite all the windows being open, as he looked to see that the yellow Pegasus was nowhere in sight. Angel glared at him from the couch, but Discord ignored him. ‘Strange,’ he thought. ‘Perhaps she’s a little late preparing the tea.’ Discord teleported into the kitchen, only to find it completely clean and devoid of any action. “Fluttershy?” he called as he stepped out of the kitchen and re-entered the living room, only to receive no response. “Perhaps she’s in her animal sanctuary and forgot about your little get together as well.” He turned to see an exact copy of himself wearing a pair of glasses lounging on the couch with a book in his hands. He tossed the book aside as it disappeared before he sat up. “I mean, why else would Fluttershy not be in here at the moment? Aside from the fact that she’s probably outside trying to roast herself.” “I was just about to think that, thank you.” the original Discord said as he snapped his fingers and summoned a portal underneath his copy as it sucked him in it before disappearing in a flash of light. The Draconequus then teleported into Sweet Feather Sanctuary and spotted Fluttershy sitting over by the trees giving some squirrels small bottles of water as he teleported behind her. “Hi, Fluttershy!” he said in a merry tone. She let out a surprised scream and jumped to her hoofs as the squirrels ran back up into the trees. Turning around, she saw her chaotic friend standing behind her with a smile on his face. “Oh, Discord. You startled me.” “Sorry for the surprise, my dear, I couldn’t resist.” Discord chuckled. “But Today’s our weekly get together. Is there a reason you’re out here and not inside preparing tea?” “Sorry Discord, but due to today's heat wave, some of the animals here in the sanctuary are getting really hot and need lots of water.” Fluttershy replied. “Maybe we can have our tea party tomorrow.” “We could, or I can take care of your chores for you.” Discord raised his eagle claw and poised his talons in a snapping position. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine on my own.” “Are you sure? You look like you’re melting.” He wasn’t kidding. Beads of sweat slowly dripped down Fluttershy’s forehead and her face was flushed slightly from the heat. “Oh, Don’t worry about me. I’m almost done with my tasks for the morning.” she said as she wiped her forehead with her foreleg. “I’m fine. Really, I am.” The Draconequus folded his arms and eyed her with suspicion for a moment before shrugging. “If you insist on doing this by yourself, then I won’t stop you. But I can still be by your side and chat, right?” “Of course you can.” Fluttershy flew up and wrapped her forelegs around his chest. “It’s still good to see you.” “Same here, my dear.” Discord wrapped his arms around her body for a moment before they broke the embrace. “So what’s been going on since we last saw each other?” Fluttershy asked as she made her way towards the supplies shed. “Oh, do I have a story for you!” Discord replied cheerfully as he floated alongside her. “A few days ago, I was lounging on my thinking tree when I suddenly got an idea about pranking Celestia. I went into the Canterlot Castle dining room when it was time for her lunch disguised as a cake as she noticed me from her seat and levitated me onto a plate and next to her hayburger. Contrary to common belief, Celestia secretly loves cake and is an absolute sucker for it.” a snicker escaped him as he fought against the upcoming storm of laughter building up within him. “When she cut out a slice to sample on and was about to eat some of it, I made my face appear on it and pretended to scream in agony as if she actually hurt me!” No longer taking it anymore, the Lord of Chaos bursted into laughter. “Oh, Celestia should’ve seen the look on her face, purely priceless! She was frozen in shock and horror as I turned back into my normal self and laughed at her before disappearing, leaving another cake for her!” Discord let gravity push him back onto the ground as he rolled around and guffawed hysterically. Fluttershy turned around and looked at him with a frown. “I don’t think it was nice to make fun of the princess like that.” “Oh come on, Fluttershy, it was hilarious.” Discord said once his laughter stopped and teleported to her side. “If you were there, you’d find it to be a little disturbing at first, but amusing once I reveal myself.” “I still think that was a little mean. You should apologize to Celestia for that.” “I left her an apology note after I left, and I’m more than sure she’s already let that slide.“ “Well, if you say so.” Fluttershy allowed a small smile to form on her lips. “Anything else happen besides pranks?” “Not much,” Discord replied. “But what about you? Did you do anything exciting?” “I let a female bobcat and her mate move into the sanctuary. They’re over in one of the caves and won’t harm any of the other animals.” “That’s nice to hear.” As Fluttershy continued her chores around the animal sanctuary, Discord floated alongside her and occasionally engaged her in a few friendly conversations while using his magic to get a few good giggles out of her. However, as the day went on and the temperature got hotter, she became more flushed and sweaty, even feeling light headed and dizzy a few times. It was then when she finished giving her bear friend, Harry, a couple of sardines for lunch that she felt another dizzy spell, which didn’t go unnoticed. “Are you alright, Fluttershy?” Discord asked as he looked at her with concern, something he only did to his one and only friend. “You’re sweating a lot and you’re getting dizzy.” “Oh. N-no, Discord, I’m fine.” the yellow Pegasus shook her head as she took a sip of water from her water bottle. “I’m almost done with my chores and then I can have my lunch break.” “Are you sure you can’t take a break in the shade for a minute? I’m not a doctor, but even I know that being out in this kind of heat is harmful.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” Fluttershy gave him a reassuring smile as she carried a basket of carrots over to the rabbits. As she did so, her mind vision began to blur and began to feel dizzy. ‘You can do this, Fluttershy. You’re almost there.’ she said in her mind as her hoofsteps began to slow down and subtle a little bit. “Fluttershy, I’m not joking. Go over to the shade for a few minutes and drink some water.” Discord said in a serious tone as he made a plastic bottle of water materialize and float in front of her. “No, I still have lots of work to do.” Fluttershy shook her head firmly as the bottle disappeared and continued onward, only to experience yet another dizzy spell, this once the strongest out of all the previous ones all morning. “Oh dear.” She stumbled from side to side as her vision became too blurry to see out of and her head too woozy to concentrate, causing her to faint and drop her basket. “Fluttershy!” Discord exclaimed as he scooped her up into his arms and placed his lion paw on her forehead, noticing that not only was it really sweaty, but hotter than normal. “That’s it, young lady, you're going somewhere cool to get some much needed water and relaxation and I’m not taking no for an answer!” Not wasting another second, the Draconequus turned his tail tuft into a hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing with the unconscious Pegasus in a flash of light. He reappeared inside the cottage and used his magic to close the windows and lower the temperature to a more cooling and comfortable state as he laid Fluttershy down on the couch and materialized an ice pack on her forehead. ‘Maybe Fluttershy wouldn’t mind if I took care of all her tasks for the day.’ Discord thought as he snapped his fingers. ‘There, all done.’ he materialized a cold chocolate milkshake with a cherry on top on the table as he teleported into the armchair next to the couch and waited patiently. Only time would tell until Fluttershy would wake up Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait for long as the yellow Pegasus began to regain consciousness and let out a moan as she slowly opened her eyes. “Oh my…what happened?” she murmured as she looked up to see an ice pack on her head. “You fainted when you were going over to those bunnies with some carrots.” Discord said as she sat up and looked at him. “Don’t worry about that, my dear. I took care of it for you.” “You did?” “I most certainly did, and I even took care of all your other tasks for the day.” “Really? You did that all for me?” Fluttershy looked at him with an astonished look. “You didn’t have to do that though. I could’ve done it myself.” “True, but you were overheating. Speaking of which, why did you continue your work if you knew you were getting dizzy and not taking a break for some water?” Discord asked. “I couldn’t just let my poor animals suffer in the heat for much longer. If I took a break, they would’ve gotten even hotter and suffered sun stroke.” “Then why didn’t you drink any water? I mean, when was the last time you ever thought about yourself for a moment?” “I don’t really do that very often. I sometimes think that if I think about myself too much, I’ll become too selfish and nopony will like me.” “But if you don’t think about yourself normally, you’ll end up being so caught up in being selfless that you’ll end up forgetting and ignoring what you want and need. I mean, look at myself.” Discord placed his lion paw on his chest. “I think about myself all the time, but I also think about you, my dear. I even made you a milkshake to help you cool down.” He pointed to the said drink on the table as she looked down at it. “You made that for me?” Fluttershy asked. “Why of course.” Discord replied. “Go on and take a sip.” She picked up the milkshake and brought the straw to her mouth as she took a sip, widening her eyes and humming in delight. “This is delicious!” she proudly proclaimed as she continued to drink it. “There, you see? I may think about myself most times, but I also think about you.” Discord smiled at her as she continued drinking. “You’re right, and it was really thoughtful of you to do this for me.” Fluttershy smiled warmly at him as she finished her milkshake, only to let out a small burp and cover her mouth with her hoof. “Oh, excuse me.” “You’re excused, my dear. Now then, would now be a good time to have our tea party? You are free from all your chores for the day, thanks to yours truly.” The yellow Pegasus let out a small giggle. “Why not? You were really helpful after all.” “Splendid!” Discord smiled as he clapped his hands twice, causing a tea set materialized on the table. “I managed to perfect my cucumber sandwiches a few days ago, so go my dear. Try them.” A tray of cucumber sandwiches materialized and hovered in front of them as Fluttershy took one into her hoof and put it in her mouth, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing it. “Oh my, it tastes so much better than your last batch.” she smiled. “Why thank you.” Discord smiled proudly as he placed his eagle claw on his chest in pride. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her former pupil Starlight Glimmer were sitting in the library at the Castle of Friendship reading books together. Due to the hot weather outside, the entire building was casted in a cooling spell to prevent the heat from getting inside and kept it nice and cool inside. The doors opened as they both looked to see Spike entering. “Hey Twilight. Can I go over to Rarity’s and hang out with her?” he asked. “Of course, Spike.” Twilight replied with a smile. Her baby dragon was officially no longer a ‘baby’ anymore. He went through a growth spurt a month ago and was now a few inches underneath her height and was more slender with muscles showing on his arms, stomach, and legs. His spikes were slightly larger and sharper and his tail was slightly longer. “Great! See you later. You too, Starlight.” the purple pre-teenaged dragon waved to the both of them as he turned and left the library, closing the doors behind him. “Still trying to get used to the new Spike?” Starlight asked her former teacher. “Yeah,” Twilight replied with a sigh. “I can’t believe my little Spike is growing up so quickly. It wasn’t that long ago he was able to ride on my back.” “Well, soon he’ll become an adult and find his special somepony, or somedragon and move out of the castle.” “I know, but I’ll always see him as my baby.” This brought another smile on her lips as they both heard the sound of something powering up. Twilight and Starlight stood up and turned over to the portal to the mirror world whirring up as the archway got encased in a magenta aura. Immediately afterwards, a yellow unicorn mare with a fiery red and yellow mane and tail stepped out with a pair of saddlebags on her back. “Sunset!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she stood up from her chair and rushed over, embracing her friend in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!” “It’s good to see you too, Twilight.” Sunset smiled at her before noticing another unicorn in the library. “Who’s that?” “Oh! I nearly forgot.” Twilight pulled away as Starlight went up to them. “Starlight, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is my former pupil Starlight Glimmer.” “It’s nice to meet you, Starlight.” Sunset held out her hoof with a friendly smile. “Same here.” Starlight smiled back as they shook hooves. “So how did you get here through that portal just now?” “Oh, I live in an alternate world with creatures called humans and actually have friends there. It’s a little complicated to explain but they’re just like the ponies here in Equestria only there’s no magic but a lot of technology and machines.” “Wow, I may have to visit your world one of these days. So what brings you here?” “It’s the first day of summer vacation at my high school and I want to spend the first week here in Equestria.” “Really? That’s wonderful!” Twilight said. “Feel free to spend time here in the castle for as long as you want.” “Thanks, Twilight.” Sunset smiled at her as they shared another hug. “Would you like a tour of Ponyville?” “Sure. It’s been so long since I was last here in Equestria, and I want to see what’s changed.” “That’s good to hear.” Twilight smiled. “Just be advised that we’re suffering a heat wave.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” Sunset nodded as she turned to the light purple unicorn. “Do you want to come with us, Starlight?” “I don’t see why not.” she replied. “I need a break from all this reading anyway.” All three of them exited the library as Sunset Shimmer stopped and turned around, noticing a familiar yet not familiar face. Twilight noticed that she wasn’t coming and turned around, teleporting next to her friend. “Sunset, this is my guard Flash Sentry. Flash, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. She’s staying here in the castle for a week.” The Princess of Friendship said as the yellow unicorn eyed him for a second before reaching out with her hoof and shaking his. “It’s nice to meet you.” Sunset said as she forced a smile on her lips despite feeling slightly awkward. “It’s nice to meet you too, and welcome to Ponyville.” Flash smiled at her as they shook hoofs before she turned around with Twilight and caught back up with Starlight as they exited the castle and stepped out into the hot humid heat. Spike happily marched through the smoldering heat of Ponyville as he went towards Carousel Boutique with a proud smile on his face. He wasn’t only heading over to the home of the bearer of the element of generosity just to hang out with her, but in hopes to impress her. The purple dragon had a crush on her ever since he and Twilight first moved into town and would always go out of his way to make her happy by doing all sorts of tasks for her and helping with her dresses, but she seemed to not catch on to his feelings like he would’ve hoped, not to mention Rarity would always be chasing after handsome stallions like Prince Blueblood and Trenderhoof. Spike didn’t give up though. He would continuously try again to impress her and earn her affections, and become her special somepony, or rather special somedragon, in the process. Whether Rarity felt the same way or not, he would always continue to be a good friend and support her fashion business. He went up to the front door to her home and knocked on it as he waited patiently, only to receive no response as his smile fell. “Rarity?” he called as he knocked again. “Are you in there?” The door opened to reveal Sweetie Belle as she looked up at him. “Hey Spike.” she said. “Rarity’s up in her room if you’re looking for her, but she’s not happy at the moment.” “Really? Why?” Spike asked. “I don’t know. I tried talking to her but she won’t let me in her room.” Spike frowned in concern. What could Rarity be so upset about that she wouldn’t let anyone, including her younger sister, talk about. “I should go and talk to her,” he said. “I agree.” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement as she opened the door further and allowed him to enter. Once he stepped inside, he looked around with slightly widened eyes. All over the floor were incomplete and tattered dresses as well as several crumpled sketchbook papers of dress designs. Clothing racks of previously designed dresses stood at various locations around the area and all the curtains on all the windows were pulled closed. “Wow.” Spike managed to say. It wasn’t the first time he’d been to Carousel Boutique in this kind of condition, minus the crumpled pieces of paper on the floor. “Is Rarity facing some kind of a designer's block?” “No doubt about it,” Sweetie replied. “I even heard her mumbling to herself how she couldn’t come up with any designs for the summer.” Spike frowned in concern. “I should go and talk to her.” He followed the unicorn filly up the stairs, being careful to not step on any of the incomplete dresses as they reached the 2nd floor of the building and went over to the door to Rarity’s room. “Rarity?” Sweetie Belle knocked on the bedroom door. “Spike’s here to see you.” A moment of silence passed as they both waited patiently. “Come in.” a voice came from the other side as the purple dragon twisted the doorknob and entered. The entire bedroom was exactly like the rest of the house, only much more messy with even more crumpled sketchbook papers on the floor as well as incomplete dresses. Spike looked over at the work table and spotted Rarity sitting at it on her stool, wearing her robe and facing away from him. “Rarity?” he called over to her as he cautiously approached her. “Are you okay?” She didn’t voice a reply, but rather nodded her head. “Are you sure? Your home is a mess and the windows are closed. Is there something wrong?” Rarity shook her head as the purple dragon came up to her side and looked at her in concern. He noticed a tear streaming down her cheek and tried to get a better look, only for her to turn her head away from him. That really concerned him. She would never turn away from him like that and not say anything in reply. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and that touch finally seemed to get to her. Rarity began sobbing as she spun around and wrapped her forelegs around his body as she buried her face into his chest, surprising him in the process. “Oh Spike, it’s positively terrible!” she sniffed. “I can’t come up with any dress designs.” It took a moment for him to snap out of his trance as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. “Why not?” “There hasn’t been anything inspiring for weeks! I feel like I’ve lost my creative spark and I don’t know what to do.” Spike continued to hold her as he awkwardly rubbed her back with his hand. “Um…there there.” he said hesitantly. He wasn’t really an expert on this sort of thing compared to others who were or probably had foals, but he couldn't let her wallow in her own misery. It took a few more minutes of sobbing for the white unicorn to finally let it all out as she finally calmed down and pulled away, giving him a small smile. “Thank you for the comfort, Spike, but I’m still in a pickle. Do you happen to have any ideas?” she asked him hopefully. “Well, not off the top of my head.” Spike replied as he saw her frown in disappointment. “But maybe you could make some summer dresses,” he quickly added. “I thought about that already, but they don’t seem to speak to the fashion world.” Rarity said with a sigh as she used her magic to levitate a tissue over and blew into it before placing it in the already overflowing trash can. “Not unless I create something I never thought of before. The purple dragon thought for a moment before perking up with an idea. “Wait a minute. What if you tried to combine your sense of fashion into a typical summer dress?” “You mean make a dress that’s part casual and part formal?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why not? And maybe you can design a nice summer hat to go with it.” Rarity put a hoof to her chin in thought before gasping. “Why Spike, that is an amazing idea!” she smiled as she levitated her sketchbook and quill over before flipping to an empty page and sketching down her idea in it. Once she finished, she tore out the paper and levitated it to him. “How does this look?” she asked as he took it in his hands and looked at it. The dress Rarity drew had a long and flowy gown with small flowers on it in a pattern and a pair of smooth slippers and a nice summer hat with a large flower on the side. “I think that’s a great design.” Spike smiled. “You’re right.” Rarity muttered as she looked at her drawing. “You’re right!” She immediately placed the paper back on the table as she levitated several rolls of fabric out from the shelves as well as a few more stitching machines from the closet as she swiftly went to work, creating a series of dresses in no time at all before hanging them on an empty dress rack. “Wow. That was fast.” Spike said with amazement. “It certainly was.” Rarity flipped her mane before smiling sweetly. “And I have you to thank for those fabulous ideas.” “Aww, it was nothing.” a blush coated his cheeks as he scratched his head bashfully. “Would it be okay if we had some ice cream together?” “It most certainly is.” the white unicorn replied as she stood up and took off her robe before she and Spike exited the room and went downstairs. “Whew! It’s super hot out here.” Sunset wiped her forehead as they entered Ponyville. “But Ponyville sure is nice and peaceful around here.” “It sure is, but we do sometimes get threatened by powerful villains.” Twilight said. “Really? How often does that happen?” “Thankfully not too often, but a little over a month ago, me and all my friends got ponynapped by the Changelings when they tried to exact their revenge on us.” “What’s a changeling?” Sunset asked. “They were cruel and ruthless creatures that could transform into the ones you love and feed off of your love for them.” Starlight answered as she explained when she, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord teamed up to save everyone and overthrow Queen Chrysalis. “Wow. that must’ve been quite the adventure.” the yellow unicorn said. “And you say that Discord helped you? As in the spirit of chaos and disharmony? I thought Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned him into a stone statue a thousand years ago?” “He was, but he broke free when the princesses were no longer connected to the elements of harmony.” Twilight said as she explained the day when Discord escaped his stone prison and unleashed his chaos before explaining when Celestia tasked the bearer of the element of kindness to reform the mischievous spirit of chaos. “It wasn’t easy, but she successfully reformed him and they’ve been close friends ever since.” “Wow. looks like I’ve missed out on a lot since I ran away from Canterlot.” “You did?” Starlight asked. “Why?” Sunset explained to her how she used to be one of Celestia’s old students and became cruel when she didn’t get what she wanted and ran away to the mirror world as a result. “I regret the day I went mad and nearly invaded Equestria with an army of teenagers, but I had Twilight and my friends back home to show me the light.” “I also had a pretty rough past.” the light purple unicorn said as she explained when she took the cutie marks of the ponies in her old village and got defeated by Twilight and her friends and attempted to go back in time to exact her revenge, only to get convinced of the error of her ways and gain not only a home in the Castle of Friendship but friends. “Looks like we have something in common.” Sunset said. “We do.” Starlight nodded in agreement as she held out her hoof. “Friends?” “Friends.” they both shook hooves together as Twilight watched it all with a proud smile. Her former student has come a long way since her reformation. As the three of them went near Sugarcube Corner, they spotted Pinkie Pie with an ice cream stand outside the building. “Hi Twilight! Hi Starlight!” she waved over at them. “Step right up and get fresh cold ice cream!” Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset all went over to the ice cream stand as the pink earth pony looked at the yellow unicorn and drew in a sharp but long gasp, instantly recognizing her from the night when she stole Twilight’s crown. “Are you new here?” “Um, kind of,” Sunset replied. “Why do you-” “One second!” Pinkie cut her off as she zipped inside Sugarcube Corner and came back out in an impressive speed wearing a barrage of different musical instruments. The mallet to the base drum began beating a steady beat as Pinkie cleared her throat. “🎵Welcome welcome welcome, A fine welcome to you. Welcome welcome welcome, We’re glad to see you too. We’re glad that you could come, To the town of Ponyville. Where you can have lots of fun or you can sit, relax, and chill. No matter what may come, No matter what the weather. We slow down or give up Because we have each other. Now to give my name, My name is Pinkie Pie! I love to throw lots of parties And spread joy so you don’t cry. Now to wrap this up, And to send you on your way. I welcome you to Ponyville With a hip hip hurray!🎵” Pinkie finished playing her instruments and singing her song as Sunset Shimmer looked at her with a look of amazement and bewilderment. “Wow.” she managed to say. “I know, right? I know it’s last minute, but I wrote that song all for you!” Pinkie grinned at her. “Did you like it? Huh, huh? Did you?” “Yes. It was very…creative.” Sunset replied. “I knew you’d like it! Here, have some ice cream!” The pink earth pony rushed back to her ice cream stand and pulled out a plastic bowl as she scooped some strawberry ice cream in it and put some sprinkles on it with a cherry on top before pulling out a plastic spoon and rushed back over. “Here you go!” “Thanks.” Sunset smiled at her as she scooped a sample of it on her spoon and took a bite, immediately feeling a cooling sensation from the sweet taste. “This is delicious.” “I knew you’d like it!” Pinkie grinned as she rushed back over to her ice cream stand and made two more ice cream bowls for Twilight and Starlight. “Free of charge!” “Really?” Twilight asked as she took the ice cream into her magical aura. “Yup! Mr and Mrs. Cake wants me to make free ice cream for anyone who shows up due to the heat wave.” “Tell them we said thanks.” Starlight said as she took her ice cream into her magical aura and took a bite. “And this ice cream really is delicious.” “Will do!” Pinkie smiled as she went back over to her ice cream stand. “Have a nice day, and stay cool!” “We will.” Twilight waved at her as she, Starlight, and Sunset continued on their way. “Let’s head back to the castle. It’s getting too hot out here.” “I agree.” Sunset nodded as the group went through town and back to the path to the castle. Once they stepped back inside, they immediately felt a rush of cold air blow over them as Twilight closed the doors. “Ahhh, this feels so much better.” Starlight sighed as they went towards the library. “Hey Sunset, can I take you up to your guest room so that you can get your things settled?” Twilight asked. “Sure thing.” Sunset replied as she followed the Princess of Friendship towards the stairs. “And I’ll go on and meet you in the library.” Starlight called up as she continued on her way towards the library. Twilight and Sunset Shimmer trotted through the sleeping quarters as they entered an empty guest bedroom. “Thanks again for letting me stay here.” Sunset said as she smiled at her friend and levitated her saddlebags onto the dresser. “It feels so comfortable here.” “I’m glad you think so.” Twilight smiled back. “Are you gonna come down to the library and hang out with me and Starlight?” “I will, just let me unpack my things first.” “Alright, see you in a bit.” the purple alicorn turned and left the room as she closed the doors behind her and trotted back to the library. Suddenly, as she turned the corner to go down the stairs, she bumped into someone as she looked to see Flash Sentry standing in front of her. “Flash!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m so so sorry, I didn’t see you coming around the corner like that.” “It’s alright, your highness.” Flash smiled at her. “It was an honest mistake.” “Y-yeah, you’re right. What are you doing up here, anyway?” “Starlight told me that you were up here and I thought I’d come up and check on you.” “I appreciate it, but I’m fine. Thank you for checking up on me, though.” Twilight blushed a shade of red as she cleared her throat. “Right…so, I should head back to the library. Do you wanna come?” “Sure thing, your highness.” Flash bowed before following her back down the stairs. Awkward silence filled the air as Twilight glanced back at him slightly every so often, feeling flustered and awkward. She had no idea why she was still acting like a filly with a school-pony crush even though Flash had been in the castle for a few weeks. He was assigned to be her guard from her sister-in-law, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza AKA Cadence so that he could look after the castle and protect her in case she was in any danger. Twilight was quite surprised that day when Cadence visited her that day and gave the Pegasus guard to him, but was nonetheless happy to have some extra company in her large and still somewhat empty castle. Twilight was also glad to see him because she had recently developed small feelings for Flash and would sometimes hope to be his special somepony, but always shied away from the idea, mainly because a relationship between a commoner and a princess would feel like an obligation to him. Only time would tell if he would ever feel the same way. Once Twilight and Flash Sentry approached the doors to the library, he trotted ahead of her and opened the door for him as he bowed his head. “Flash, you don’t have to be so formal with me.” Twilight smiled at him. “But thank you for the gesture, anyway.” “You’re welcome, your highness, and enjoy your time.” Flash saluted at her as he stood at his position next to the doors. The purple alicorn looked at him for a moment before closing the doors and returning to her reading chair where Starlight was waiting for her in her own chair. Twilight noticed that she was giving her a knowing look. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Twilight asked as she levitated her book over to her and opened it to the page she paused at. “Flash certainly has your attention, doesn’t he?” the light purple unicorn asked in a knowing tone. “U-um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Admit it. You have a crush on him.” “No I don’t!” Twilight snapped as she immediately covered her mouth with a hoof, praying that he didn’t hear her as she cleared her throat. “Besides, we aren’t even friends yet, not to mention we don’t know each other that well.” “That doesn’t mean you can’t do all that, and maybe you’ll become a couple one day and get married and have foals.” “Starlight, I’m not even ready for all that yet.” “There’s nothing wrong with liking somepony and imagining a future together.” Starlight said as she flipped to the next page in her book. “Oh really?” Twilight sent her a knowing smirk of her own. “Then tell me, Starlight. Do you imagine a future with Sunburst?” “W-what? No, of course not!” a small blush coated Starlight cheeks as she looked up from her book and cleared her throat. “We’re just friends, and we never had crushes on each other growing up.” “Understood, but let me know when he confesses to you.” “Twilight!” Starlight snapped as her former mentor laughed. She felt a smile pull at her lips as she joined in on the laughter, realizing that the Princess of Friendship was only teasing her. Discord and Fluttershy shared a laugh as the teapot and tea cups did a tap dance on a miniature stage the Draconequus materialized in front of them on the floor. They then began doing silly dances as well as circus stunts as Fluttershy watched them with amazement as they finished their grand finale with the teapot lifting the cups on its arms. “Ta da!” they said in unison as small confetti cannons on the side of the stage fired small bits of confetti. “That was amazing.” Fluttershy said as she clapped her front hooves in applause. “Woo hoo.” Discord chuckled at her quiet cheer as he turned the teapot and tea cups back to normal and teleported them back on the table. He then took a tea cake into his eagle claw and swallowed it down as three mini copies of himself popped up on the table and ate one of the tea cakes each before sitting and patting their now bulging stomachs. “You really do make the best of tea cakes, my dear.” Discord smiled at her as she blushed in modesty. Suddenly, one of the mini Discord’s let a loud but high pitch burp could be heard as they both widened their eyes. The mini Discord blushed and looked to the ground with guilt as the original Discord looked at him disapprovingly. “What do you say?” “Excuse me.” the mini Discord said with a smile. “I really can’t take them anywhere.” Discord muttered as his mini copies popped out of existence one by one. Fluttershy let out a giggle. “Oh Discord, you’re so funny.” “I guess I am.” he smiled. “So. is there anything else going on for you this week?” “Me and my friends are going to have a picnic at our usual picnic spot tomorrow. Would you like to come?” “My dear, I would absolutely love to.” Discord replied. “And I’ll even bring my cucumber sandwiches.” “That’s great.” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m sure they’ll love them just as much as I do.” “And I’ll even try and make some cupcakes to go with them.” “Really?” Fluttershy asked. “Have you ever baked cupcakes before?” “Well…no.” Discord replied honestly. “I always used my magic to make all the food I need, but it wouldn’t hurt to try and bake some cupcakes.” “It’s up to you whether you want to bake or make them with your magic. I don’t mind what your decision is.” Fluttershy said. “Then I’ll bake cupcakes by hand.” the Draconequus proudly announced. “And trust me, Fluttershy. They’ll be the best ones you’ll ever eat.” “Okay.” After a few more hours of chatting together and laughing while drinking tea, the time for their time together had to come to an end as Discord stood up and stretched. “I hope you enjoyed our little time together, my dear.” he said. “I always do, and thank you for taking care of my tasks and cooling me down. It was so sweet of you.” Fluttershy smiled at him as she flew up into his arms and shared a hug with him. “See you tomorrow.” “See you tomorrow.” Discord smiled at her as he put her back on the ground and disappeared in a flash of light, causing the tea set to disappear in the process. Before the yellow Pegasus could move, he immediately teleported back in front of her. “I can’t wait!” he said before disappearing once again. She put her hoof to her mouth and giggled. “Oh Discord.” To be continued… Author's Note And with that, here’s the re-create chapter 1! For those of you who already read the previous version of this chapter, I decided to redo it because I felt like it was missing a few things. This is how I rigonally intended chapter 1 to be and I hope you liked it. The song I made Pinkie sing to Sunset Shimmer is a song I originally wrote (sorry if it's terribly written. I'm a bad rhymer. ) But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and I hope to see you again soon in chapter 2!
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 2Spike, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle all sat at the table in the kitchen of Carousel Boutique together as they each ate bowls of ice cream. Due to the new idea that the purple dragon gave the white unicorn, she was now back in high spirits and managed to make fifteen more dresses. “I cannot thank you enough for the idea you gave me, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity smiled at him. “You really are the kindest and sweetest dragon I know.” Spike chuckled as he scratched his head. “I have my moments.” “Indeed you do, and I thank you again for that.” Sweetie Belle looked between the two as she watched Spike blush a shade of pink and Rarity gaze at him sweetly. Ever since he started visiting her older sister more often after getting his growth spurt, she noticed that Rarity was acting slightly differently around him. She would sometimes gaze at him for long periods and feel a little flattered whenever he commented on her beauty or sense of generosity. Sweetie also knew that Spike had a crush on her older sister ever since she overheard her talking about it when she was alone in her work room. Perhaps she may have misheard her, Sweetie thought, but thought wrong when she saw Rarity smiling to herself at how adorable it was for the purple dragon to have feelings for her. Sweetie Belle placed her spoon down on her plate with an audible clink and cleared as her older sister turned to her. “Rarity? Would it be okay if I went ahead and started cleaning up all the dresses on the floor?” the unicorn filly asked. “Oh, well, I don’t see why not.” Rarity replied. “But aren’t you going to finish your ice cream? You’re nearly finished.” she pointed to her younger sister’s ice cream bowl. True to her word, there was only a little bit of ice cream left. “Oh!” Sweetie scooped the remaining ice cream into her spoon and ate it whole as she levitated her bowl and spoon into the sink. “I am now, so I’ll be upstairs putting away all the dresses in the hallway if you need me.” The unicorn filly trotted out of the kitchen and up the stairs as Spike and Rarity were left alone in the kitchen. They sat in silence for a moment as they glanced at each other and felt a sense of awkwardness. “We should go ahead and start cleaning up your home too.” Spike said as he stood up and took his bowl into his hand before taking Rarity’s bowl and spoon as well. “Here, let me take care of that for you.” “Why thank you, Spike.” Rarity smiled at him as she got out of her seat. And went out of the kitchen. A frown adorned her expression as she looked around at the sheer mess that she created during her depressed state. ‘Oh my, I’m going to need a day at the spa after this.’ “So what are we doing first?” Spike asked once he exited the kitchen. “Do you want me to take care of the cleaning?” “Oh no, I couldn't possibly allow you to do that when I was the one who made this mess. I can take care of things from here, Spike.” “What? No way.” he shook his head. “I can do this, Rarity. This isn’t the first time I’ve handled large messes, you know.” She knew he had a point. Cleaning up piles of books in the Golden Oaks Library and the library in the Castle of Friendship proved his point. “But I still don’t want you to do this. It was my fault for neglecting this for so long and I have to take responsibility.” Spike let out a chuckle. “Sorry, Rarity. But I’m not taking no for an answer.” He began to pick up the unfinished dresses off the floor and the papers as the white unicorn stared at him for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. Despite that, a smile formed on her lips. “Well, if you’re sure, then I won’t stop you, darling. But I’ll clean up the mess upstairs and we can call ourselves even.” “Sure thing.” Spike nodded as he took the unfinished dresses outside and into the garbage can. The white unicorn smiled off in his direction before going upstairs, lighting up her horn and levitating any dress that was on the floor onto her back and any crumpled piece of paper into the trash can she brought out of her room. As she continued, her thoughts drifted off to the purple pre-teenage dragon. It wasn’t too long ago when he was little and chubby, and he was now taller, more strong and muscular, and slightly attractive in her opinion. For some odd reason, Rarity felt slightly different around him whenever he came over to help or to simply just hang out. She would feel more happy than usual and a little giddy. She kept telling herself that it was just her imagination, but the more time they spent together, the more happy she was for his company and assistance. Once Rarity finished getting all the unfinished dresses and crumpled pieces of paper off of the stairs, she took them back downstairs and towards the garbage can outside as she looked around the main area of her home to see that it was halfway clean and all the curtains on all the windows were pulled open. She looked to see the front door opening as Spike stepped back inside and wiped his forehead. “Whew! I’m getting close to being almost done with all the cleaning down here.” he said. “I can see that.” Rarity said as she moved towards the door. “Do you want me to put those dresses in the trash for you?” Spike asked. “You don’t seem to be moving all that well with the weight of them on your back like that.” True to his word, the white unicorn’s legs were shaking due to the weight of the dresses on her back. Despite that, she shook her head. “Spike, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle this.” “Rarity, I know you’re determined to do most of the work, but I can help. Besides, what’s wrong with the extra assistance?” “Well…when you put it like that,” she let out a defeated sigh. “Oh, how can I say no? Here you go, Spike.” Rarity positioned herself and allowed the purple dragon to lift the dresses off her back as she let out a sigh. “Oh, it feels so good to get those off my back. They were getting quite heavy.” “Happy to help.” Spike smiled as he took the dresses over to the garbage can and crammed them in. Rarity waited until he came back inside before going back upstairs and levitating more dresses onto her back and pieces of papers into her trash can, which was now overflowing with lots of other crumpled pieces of paper. She turned and went downstairs as Spike waited at the bottom for her as he took the trash can into his claws and took it outside and emptied it into the garbage can. With the combined efforts, they both managed to complete cleaning all of Carousel Boutique within 45 minutes as they both came down the stairs and sat on the fainting couch together. “Spike, you don’t know how thankful I am for your assistance today.” Rarity said as she smiled gratefully at him. “You were a big help.” “What can I say? I love helping you.” Spike said as he smiled back. “What are friends for, anyway?” They continued to smile at each other before the white unicorn cleared her throat and stood up. “You deserve an award.” Spike looked at her in surprise. “Really?” “Yes, and I insist. Now wait here.” Rarity turned and went up stairs as the purple dragon waited patiently. It didn’t take too long for his crush to return as she came up to him with a small chest in her magical aura. “This is from me to you.” She placed it in his lap as he picked it up and opened it, widening his eyes and staring down at the delicious array of gems. He then looked up to see Rarity smiling at him. “Is something wrong, Spike?” she asked him. It was as if this were deja vu. He shook his head and smiled down at his tasty treat. “Nope. It’s perfect.” he placed the chest down on the couch and stood up as he embraced her in a hug. “Thanks, Rarity.” “You’re welcome, Spikey-wikey.” She hugged him back before breaking the embrace. “Well, you should probably go on and head back to the castle. I’m sure Twilight is waiting for your return.” “Y-yeah, you’re right.” Spike grabbed the chest of gems and went out of the front door back to the Castle of Friendship as Rarity stepped outside and waved at him. “Farewell, Spike! I’ll see you tomorrow for the picnic!” “I’ll be there!” he called back to her as he walked back home to the castle. As he continued through town, he opened his chest and looked at his gems with a smile. This wasn’t the first time he had received a generous gift from his crush throughout all the time he and Twilight have lived in Ponyville. There was the time when Rarity gave him a gem for helping him extract gems from near the Diamond Dog tunnels and when she kissed him after he gave her his Fire Ruby. Yet there was one thing that was missing from all this that he always wanted the minute he first saw her. He wanted to become her special somedragon. Spike knew that there was a chance he would win her heart now that she wasn’t chasing after any handsome stallions and devoting more of her time to her work. Only time would tell if this was his fate. Discord materialized in his kitchen back in his castle as he began searching in all the cabinets and drawers for a cookbook. “Now let’s see, where is that cookbook? I know I have one somewhere.” he muttered to himself as he shrank himself and went inside the oven in hopes that a cookbook was in there, but to no avail. He teleported out of the oven and grew back to his normal height as he began searching in the refrigerator for any signs of anything that looked like a book, but wound up with the same results. “Where is it?” he said with annoyance. That’s when realization hit him. He doesn’t have a cookbook. He slapped himself in the face before a light bulb flashed above his head as he grinned with an idea. He may not have a cookbook, but there was a certain pink pony who did. Discord teleported outside of Sugarcube Corner and spotted Pinkie over by her ice cream stand as he teleported over to it. “Ah, Pinkie Pie. Just the pony I need to see.” “Hi Discord! Do you want some ice cream?” she asked with a grin. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m actually here for an entirely different reason,” he replied. “Ooh, what is it, what is it?” “Do you happen to have a cookbook by any chance?” “Yup, and it’s in the bakery! But why do you need one?” Pinkie asked. “Well, see here’s the thing, my little pony.” Discord began. “I was having tea with Fluttershy when she invited me to this picnic she and your friends are having tomorrow, to which I happily agreed. I even offered to bring my cucumber sandwiches.” “You did? I bet they taste super duper yummy.” “They are, and Fluttershy even said so herself, but I also told her that I would bake some cupcakes as an extra. That’s why I’m here actually." The Draconequus paused for a moment before continuing. “Can you teach me how to bake? Please?” Pinkie was silent for a moment before breaking out into a grin. “I’d love to!” “You would?” Discord asked in surprise. “Of course, silly! It’s not every day that I get to teach others how to cook, and you’re my second student. So step right into the bakery and I’ll be right with you!” “Well…alright.” Discord said as he teleported into the kitchen, surprising Mrs. Cake as she jumped at his sudden appearance and turned to face him. “Oh, It’s just you, Discord. What brings you here to the kitchen?” the blur earth pony asked with a forced smile. “If you must know, Pinkie has agreed to teach me how to bake cupcakes,” he replied before looking around. “Where’s your husband? I thought he’d be here with you as well?” “He took the twins to their doctor's appointment, he should be back later though.” “Ah, I see. The job of a parent is never done.” Pinkie bounced into the kitchen with her pet alligator, Gummy, on her back as she placed him on the counter top. “Alright, Discord. Are you ready to put your baking cap on?” “I most certainly am.” the Draconequus proudly replied as a chef's hat and apron materialized on him. “Now then, how will we start?” “First, we need to find a good recipe.” Pinkie replied as she pulled out a large baking book from her mane. Discord stared at her with confusion. “How did you do that?” “I dunno,” the pink earth pony replied honestly with an innocent grin. “Everypony else asks me the same thing.” “And yet you don’t know how you pulled a book from your own mane like that?” “Nope.” Discord just stared at her. The fact that she should just do that and have no idea how just didn’t make any sense. ‘Then again, what’s the fun in making sense?’ a thought entered his mind as he sighed and shook his head. Perhaps this pony had magic and didn’t realize it yet, or simply had Draconequus in her family history. “Nevermind. Anyway, how about a good recipe for beginners?” “Coming right up!” Pinkie said as she placed the cookbook on the counter and opened it. She flipped page after page before stopping and turning to face him. “What do you wanna bake, exactly? A cake? Cupcake? Both?” she paused her questioning as she licked her lips with a hungry smile. “Ooh, cupcakes.” “Actually, I want to just make some cupcakes.” Discord replied as she beamed at him. “Ooh! What kind should we make?” “Anything with chocolate? I do love chocolate if I do say so myself.” “Gotcha.” Pinkie turned around and continued to flip the pages in her cookbook before stopping and showing him the page. “Should we try and make these?” Discord levitated the book over to him as he looked at the page with fascination. The cupcakes on the image were a rich chocolaty brown with chocolate frosting that swirled around with equally brown sprinkles on top. The very sight of them was enough to cause the Draconequus to lick his lips before grinning. “Those look absolutely perfect! Fluttershy will surely be pleased.” “Then let’s get started.” Pinkie said as the cookbook floated over to a book stand. She pulled out 4 cupcake trays and two mixing bowls before pulling out all the needed measuring cups and ingredients. “Alright, Discord, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.” she said to him in a serious tone yet still smiling.”You’ve been waiting to get baking lessons ever since…um, how long have you wanted to bake without magic?” “Since I left Fluttershy’s cottage an hour ago,” he shrugged, figuring it was the best answer. “Exactly! You’ve been waiting to bake for over an hour. Are you ready?” “Pretty much.” “Uh uh! You need to be confident! Now let me ask you again; are you ready to bake the most delicious cupcakes you have ever baked in your entire life?” “I’m ready!” Discord jumped in the air with a salute with a confident smile. “Great! Then let’s get baking.” Pinkie smiled as he teleported in front of the cooking area. “The first thing we need is to set the oven to 350 degrees.” “Already on it.” Discord reached over with his snake tail and turned his tuft into a hand as he twisted the temperature knob to the said temperature. “There.” “Great. Now we need to add ¾ cup of flour, ½ cup of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Make sure to make the ingredients thoroughly combined.” Discord immediately began adding the ingredients to his mixing bowl with the needed measuring cups, making sure that the amount was just right, as he poured them into the mixing bowl and mixed them together. He looked over to see the pink earth pony doing the same thing in her own mixing bowl only at a much faster pace. “I didn’t know you were making cupcakes with me. I thought I was doing all the baking on my own?” the Draconequus raised an eyebrow at her. “Well yeah, but the recipient requires you to use another cupcake pan.” Pinkie said. “Besides, I wanna make my own chocolate cupcakes for later!” He stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “Anyway, what’s next?” “You need to put 2 eggs, ½ cup of granulated sugar, ½ cup of brown sugar, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla into a separate medium bowl, and make sure to make it completely smooth.” The Draconequus snapped up a medium sized mixing bowl as he looked over at the open egg carton and he took 2 eggs before looking at them. “So, do I just drop them in or what?” he asked with confusion. Pinkie giggled. “No silly. You need to crack the shell and let the yolk fall in. Watch.” As a demonstration, she took one of her eggs into her mouth and taped it against her medium sized mixing bowl before placing the egg in her mouth and pulling apart the shell, causing the yolk to fall into the bowl. “Go on and try! Just be careful to not let any part of the egg shell fall in with the rest of the ingredients.” Discord looked down at his egg before knocking it against the tip of his medium mixing bowl with the correct force input as he gently pulled apart the shell with his fingers, allowing the yolk to fall into the bowl. When he noticed that not a single piece of the egg shell unintentionally fell in, he picked up the other egg and cracked it, pulling apart its shell and allowing the yolk to fall into the bowl and join the already present one as he scooped out the other ingredients with the required mixing cups and dumped them into the bowl, making sure to make the ingredients completely smooth. “Wow Discord, you’re doing great!” Pinkie smiled over at him. “Now you need to pour half of the wet ingredients and half of the buttermilk in with the dry ingredients.” He poured the wet ingredients in the large mixing bowl and added the buttermilk. “This is turning out to be a lot easier than I thought.” “It is! Now all you need to do is gently mix the ingredients in the large bowl for a few seconds and do the same for the medium bow.” The Draconequus summoned two electric mixers as he turned them on and placed them in the mixing bowls, making sure to get the mixing just right before making the mixers disappear. “Alright, I did that. Now what?” Discord asked with a slight hint of impatience. “All of this baking is making me hungry.” “We’re almost done, you just need to pour the batter into the cupcake holes on your cupcake trays, but only fill the holes up halfway.” Pinkie said as she began pouring her batter into her own cupcake tray holes. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Discord lifted up the large mixing bowl and began pouring half of the chocolate cupcake batter into the cupcake holes. “Great! All that’s left is to put the trays in the oven and let them bake for 18-21 minutes.” “You mean I have to wait?” Discord asked with an annoyed and bored expression. “I thought this would be quick?” “Sorry Discord, but you can’t rush cooking, not even with your magic.” Pinkie stated matter-of-factly as she opened the oven door and placed her cupcake trays on the rack. “Besides, it would really impress Fluttershy if you were patient for once.” He grumbled as he snapped his fingers, teleporting his cupcake trays inside the oven as Pinkie closed the oven door and set the timer. “There, the hard part’s over.” “Yup, and you did a fantastic job!” Pinkie grinned at him as she held out her hoof. “Wanna shake hooves for a job well done?” Discord looked at her for a moment before smirking. “Alright, if you insist.” He held out his eagle claw and placed it on her hoof as she suddenly felt an electric shock, earning a snicker from the Lord of Chaos as he bursted into laughter. “Oh that was priceless! You fell for the joy buzzer!” Discord held out his eagle claw as Pinkie looked to see a familiar device on his palm, causing her to bust out laughing as well. “You got me good!” the pink earth pony giggled. “You’re so funny!” “I guess I am.” The two of them continued to laugh for a little longer before finally calming down. “Right, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, making a small box with a brown and gray button materialize on the counter. “This button will summon me no matter where I am. When the cupcakes are ready, just press it and I’ll be right here.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie grinned as the Draconequus disappeared in a flash of light. Soon, his delicious treats will be ready, and he hoped that Fluttershy would love them. The front doors to the Castle of Friendship opened as Spike stepped inside the home he, Twilight, and Starlight shared as the purple dragon went towards the library. As he approached the door to the library, he saw Flash Sentry standing at his post next to the doors and gave the Pegasus guard a smile. Ever since he moved into the castle and became Twilight’s guard, he and Spike became close friends and treated each other like brothers. Despite the purple dragon’s slight distrust towards Flash, he saw that the Pegasus guard took his role seriously and swore to protect Twilight if she was ever in any kind of danger. Flash himself was also glad to be Spike’s friend. He’d never seen a dragon before and was eager to meet the number one assistant to the Princess of Friendship, despite being a little nervous around him. He eventually grew to like the purple dragon and even expressed his liking of the Power Ponies comics, much to Spike’s surprise. They would sometimes read them together whenever they both were available and they were friends ever since. “Hey Flash. Is Twilight in the library still?” Spike asked as he placed his hand on the doorknob. “She sure is. It’s kind of hard to get her away from her books for too long.” Flash Sentry replied with a chuckle. Spike chuckled in agreement. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” Flash held out his hoof as the purple dragon bumped it with his fist before opening the door and entering the library. “Hey Twilight, I’m back.” Spike called over to the Princess of Friendship as he saw her and Starlight sitting in their chairs, only to notice another chair pulled up to their reading area with a familiar yellow unicorn sitting in it with a book in her magical grasp. “Sunset Shimmer?” “Hi Spike.” she smiled at him as he came up to her and briefly embraced her in a hug. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m staying here in the castle for the week.” “No, not at all. It’s great to see you again.” Spike smiled back at her. “And you’ll even join us for the picnic tomorrow.” “Picnic?” Sunset frowned at him in confusion and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” Twilight spoke up as she lowered her book and placed her bookmark in it before closing it. “Every month, me and my friends have a picnic in the park at our usual picnic spot.” “It’s true.” Spike added in agreement. “I’ve actually been on a few of them.” “What are they like?” Sunset asked with curiosity. “They’re really nice and relaxing.” Starlight answered. “We get to eat and spend time together with our friends.” “You’ll like them, Sunset,” Twilight added as she cut into the conversation. “My friends are just like the girls back in the mirror world, and they’re super nice.” “Is Discord going to be at the picnic tomorrow?” Sunset asked with slight hesitation, part of her unsure if she’d like him. “Meh, I doubt it,” Spike replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand, much to her relief. “But even if he does come to the picnic, it would be a great opportunity for you to make a new friend.” Twilight added. The yellow unicorn felt a wave of nervousness from that statement. “I don’t know. I mean, Discord is the Lord of Chaos, isn’t he? What if he decides to use his magic on me?” she shuddered at the thought. Twilight gave her a comforting smile. “I understand that you’re nervous Sunset, but Discord isn’t as bad as you think. I mean sure he’s annoying and a little immature, but he’s pretty nice once you get to know him.” Sunset was still unconvinced. “Okaaaay? What was Discord like when he was reformed?” “Don’t even get us started.” Spike replied as he explained the time when the Draconequus never bothered to tell Twilight and her friends about the plunder seeds he planted, interfered with Twilight and Cadence’s day out together, joined forces with Tirek, behaved rudely at the Grand Galloping Gala, and ruined a good game of Ogres and Oubliettes. “Sheesh, and here I thought I had a bad track record.” Sunset said. “If we do become friends, at least we’ll have one thing in common.” “Try not to worry too much about tomorrow, Sunset.” Twilight said as she gave her a reassuring smile. “The picnic will be fine, and even if you don’t become friends with Discord, it’ll be a good opportunity to meet him.” “Y-yeah, you’re right.” Sunset nodded, feeling slightly relieved and nervous at the same time. She had never met Discord before and was wondering how he would treat her tomorrow at the picnic. Would he turn her into something strange or pull a mean prank on her? Would he be nice to her and give her a chance at friendship? The more she thought about the possibilities, the more she felt unsettling. Only time would tell if Discord would like her. The timer in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner went off as Pinkie stepped back inside the cooking area and opened the oven door, immediately being welcomed by the eat from the inside and the rich smell of chocolate as she placed the heat-proof cloth on her mouth and carefully took the cupcake trays out of the oven and placed them on the counter before closing the oven door and turning the oven off. “Ooh! I’d better summon Discord.” Pinkie said through her cloth as she spat it out and went over to the button that summoned the spirit of chaos and pressed it. Immediately afterwards, the Draconequus teleported into the kitchen, who was currently relaxing in a warm bubble bath. As soon as he realized that there was a sudden change in the environment, he opened his eyes and jumped to his feet with a surprised yelp before crouching down in the water and glared at the pink earth pony. “Do you mind? I’m in the middle of a luxurious bubble bath.” “Sorry, but your cupcakes are ready.” Pinkie said, completely unfazed from his displeasure. Discord’s unhappy expression changed into one of delight. “Finally!” He made his bathtub disappear back to his bedroom bathroom in his castle as he got on all fours and shook himself dry like a dog before teleporting over to the counter and looking at his cupcakes with a smile. “These turned out a lot better than I thought.” “I know, and you did a super duper good job creating them!” Pinkie grinned at him. “Now all that’s left is to add chocolate frosting and add the chocolate sprinkles.” She went over to the pantry and pulled out 2 chocolate frosting bottles and 2 small boxes of chocolate sprinkles before returning to her spot next to the Draconequus and handed him one of the sprinkle boxes and frosting bottles. “So how do I do this?” Discord asked as he eyed them with confusion. “Without magic?” he added with disappointment and boredom. “Yup, but it’s not hard at all.” Pinkie said. “All you need to do is squirt the frosting and make it look like a swirl. As for the sprinkles, all you need to do is sprinkle them on the frosting.” Discord picked up the chocolate frosting bottle as he slowly and carefully began squirting the frosting onto the first cupcake he chose in a swirl before opening the sprinkle box and taking a small sample of chocolate sprinkles in his lion fingers. He carefully rubbed his fingers as the sprinkles rained down on the cupcake in an almost perfect fashion, with a few of the sprinkles falling onto the pan instead. Once he finished, he carefully placed them on the cupcake before picking up the frosting bottle and moving onto the next cupcake. He repeated the process on the remaining cupcakes (except for dropping a few sprinkles unintentionally) as he finished adding sprinkles to the last cupcake on the second tray. “Finally!” Discord exclaimed with relief as he cracked his fingers. “That took forever.” “It didn’t take you that long, and your cupcakes look super super yummy!” Pinkie said as she looked at them with a grin. “They do look pretty tasty if I do say so myself.” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, summoning two large plates large enough for the cupcakes as they floated out of the tray and onto the plates. “I suppose I should thank you for the cooking lessons, Miss Pie. let me know if there’s anything I can do to return the favor.” “You’re welcome, Discord!” Pinkie grinned at him. “Buuuuut, did you say you’ll do anything to return the favor?” “Yes?” The pink earth pony pretended to think for a moment. “Maybe, just maybe, I can get some chocolate milk with whipped cream on top?” she suggested thoughtfully. The Draconequus rolled his eyes before shrugging as he snapped his fingers, causing a glass of chocolate milk with a straw and whipped cream on top to materialize in front of her as she immediately snatched it and took a sip. “Mmm! Thanks, Discord!” Pinkie smiled at him. “See you at the picnic tomorrow!” “Yes yes, farewell.” he said nonchalantly as he teleported with his chocolate cupcakes back to his kitchen in his castle as he summoned a picnic basket and levitated the cupcakes into it. He then snapped his fingers and summoned a good enough amount of cucumber sandwiches for the picnic and placed them in the picnic basket before closing its lid and brushing his hands together. Once he finished, he teleported into his bedroom bathroom and filled up his tub with fresh warm water with bubbles in them as he slithered in it like a snake and let out a relaxed sigh as he closed his eyes. He could already imagine how impressed Fluttershy will be when she’ll taste the cupcakes. “Oh Discord, these cupcakes are so delicious! You’re so talented.” Discord said in a perfect replication of the yellow Pegasus’ voice. “Why thank you for noticing, Fluttershy.” he said in his normal voice to himself with an acted smirk of pride. “All I want is to please you with my endless talents, my dear.” Discord’s smirk melted into a warm smile as he imagined Fluttershy smiling warmly at him. He secretly found it to be adorable and beautiful when she smiled at him, which caused a strange warmth from his heart. He didn’t know why that happened but chose to forget about it. The rest of the day at Discord’s castle was pretty uneventful. All he did was just float among the chaos that lived within the brick walls and imagine himself and Fluttershy tomorrow at the picnic with her friends having a wonderful time and making her laugh with his endless jokes and talents. After eating his dinner and relaxing in his bed reading a newspaper upside down, he put on his nightcap and turned out the light as he made his newspaper disappear and sink into the warmth of his bed before dozing off into a peaceful slumber. When the sun began to rise the next morning, Discord was awoken by the loud honking of his air horn alarm clock as he made is disappear before sitting up and yawning, which was combined with the low roar of a lion as he rubbed his eyes and took off his nightcap before teleporting into the kitchen and fixing himself some breakfast, which consisted of chocolate milk and cotton candy. As the Draconequus ate his meal tiredly, he noticed a picnic basket on the table. It took him a moment to realize why it was there as flashbacks of yesterday flash in his mind. Today was the picnic. His demeanor immediately changed into a more positive one as he gulped down the rest of his cotton candy whole and drank his chocolate milk quickly, letting out a burp afterwards, as he quickly teleported to his bathroom and brushed his teeth as a fast pace before returning to the kitchen in a flash of light and grabbing the picnic basket and teleported inside of Fluttershy’s cottage. Once he arrived, he noticed that most of the animals that slept inside were still asleep. Some were already waking up while a small portion of them were awoken by his sudden appearance, glaring at him with annoyance as Discord ignored them and settled down on the couch. Since it was still early in the morning and Fluttershy had not yet awoken, he had to wait. The Draconequus had to resist the urge to groan in annoyance. ‘Waiting is so boring.’ he thought with annoyance. He considered using his magic to liven the place up a little bit or mess with the animals that were already awake, but dismissed the thought. Fluttershy would probably be upset with him and change her mind about him accompanying her to the picnic. His gaze soon drifted over to the stairs. ‘Maybe she won't wake up.’ Discord stood up and floated up the stairs as he came to a stop in front of a closed bedroom door and made himself invisible before stopping. He knew he shouldn’t be sneaking into her room without her permission, but he just couldn’t stop himself, even if a part of him told him to stop and go back to the couch. Making up his mind, he used his magic to soundlessly seep through the door and float above Fluttershy’s bed, spotting her sleeping peacefully with a small smile. He mentally noted how cute she was like that before soundlessly teleporting back to the couch downstairs. Fluttershy woke up a few hours later with a yawn as she sat up and got out of bed and looked down to see Angel still sleeping in his bunny bed. “Angel, it’s time to wake up.” she spoke in a soft voice. Angel squeezed his eyes slightly and shifted his position to face away from her as he buried himself deeper inside the comfort of his bed, only to feel light stroking on his back. “Sorry Angel, but it’s time to wake up.” Fluttershy said as she picked him up and placed him on her bed. He grumbled groggily in his bunny language as he rubbed his eyes with his paws with a sleepy expression. The yellow Pegasus went over to her bedroom window as she opened it and drew in a breath before letting out a sigh. The morning air was much cooler now that the heat wave had passed and it was now safer for her to go to the animal sanctuary and do a few tasks before the picnic. She was immediately greeted by the chirping of three of her birds as she smiled at them. However, her smile faded once she noticed her flying friends were chirping at her with urgency. “Oh my, what’s wrong, friends?” Fluttershy asked as one of the birds landed on the windowsill and chirped at her. Due to her talent with animals, she could understand every single word the bird was chirping at her as she gasped. “There’s two lost baby squirrels wandering the edge of the Everfree Forest? Oh no, I need to help them.” She turned her attention to her pet white bunny. “Angel, I’m afraid that breakfast will have to wait for a little while. Can you look after the cottage for me?” Angel gave Fluttershy a swift salute with a serious expression as she smiled gratefully at him before flying out of the window and searching for the baby squirrels. It didn’t take her long to locate the first one as she landed on the ground and gently approached it. The squirrel kit stopped her little trek and turned around as she noticed the yellow Pegasus approaching her with a gentle smile. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Fluttershy cooed as she held out her hoof and allowed the squirrel kit to sniff it for a moment before nuzzling it. “There, you see? I’m here to help you. Can you tell me why you’re wandering around on your own?” The squirrel kit chittered at the yellow Pegasus as she nodded in understanding. “You and your brother got hungry when your mother didn’t return from looking for some nuts for breakfast?” she summarized as the baby squirrel nodded in reply. “I understand that you were hungry but you really shouldn’t wander off on your own, and your mother is probably worried sick.” Fluttershy said in a gentle scolding tone as the squirrel kit looked down with guilt. “I know you didn’t mean it. Do you know the way back to your burrow?” The squirrel kit nodded in reply as she pointed towards some trees closer inside of the Everfree Forest. “That’s good. Would you like me to carry you back to your home?” The Squirrel nodded as Fluttershy gently picked her up and placed her on her back before flying off in the direction of the burrow. As they entered the Everfree Forest, they spotted a worried adult squirrel in front of a tree with a small squirrel-sized hole at the bottom. She saw the yellow Pegasus fly up to her and land on the ground as a baby squirrel hopped off her back. Once the adult squirrel saw the kit, she smiled at her as she scurried over to the baby squirrel and nuzzled her before chittering at Fluttershy gratefully. “Oh, you’re welcome.” she smiled at the squirrel mother as she chittered at her once again. “Oh, I’m sorry but I haven’t seen your son anywhere. The mother squirrel grew worried at this. “But don’t worry, I’ll find him I promise.” Fluttershy quickly added. Before she could get far, the sound of a twig snapping nearby caught everyone's attention as the squirrels scurried back inside their burrow. The sound of upcoming hoofsteps caused a wave of fear to overcome the yellow Pegasus as she ran towards the nearest tree large enough to hide her and hide behind it. Her heart was pounding at the possibility of a Timberwolf or any other kind of dangerous creature stalking over to eat the squirrel family or her. Fluttershy chanced a peak from around her hiding spot as she saw a tan Pegasus colt with a blonde mane and tail with a grassy meadow for a cutie mark and sapphire blue eyes carrying a baby squirrel of his own on his back. He landed in front of the squirrel burrow as he allowed the baby squirrel on his back to hop off. “Hello? Is anyone home?” the Pegasus cold asked in a soft and gentle tone as the mother squirrel and her daughter peaked their heads out of the hole. Once they spotted the squirrel kit that moved up to them, they broke out into grins as they scurried out of their burrow and embraced him before looking up at the Pegasus cold and chittering at him. “You’re welcome.” he smiled modestly. “Remember to stay in your burrow, little ones.” The baby squirrels nodded as they and their mother went back inside their burrow. Once they were gone, the Pegasus colt spread his wings and prepared to take flight. “Excuse me?” He paused his preparations as he folded his wings back against his body and turned his head. Fluttershy stepped out of her hiding spot as she slowly approached the Pegasus colt with a shy expression. For a few moments, they both looked away from each other shyly and rubbed their forelegs awkwardly. “Hi.” Fluttershy said softly. “Hi.” the Pegasus colt said back in the same volume. “What are you doing out here in the Everfree Forest?” “I found a baby squirrel nearby and decided to return him to his mother.” “Really? I found a baby squirrel closer to my cottage and brought her back here as well.” Fluttershy said with less shyness as she faced the Pegasus colt. “I think you found the mother squirrel’s son.” “Looks like it.” he said as he faced the yellow Pegasus. Once he saw her, his own shyness melted away considerably. “Are you Fluttershy?” “Yes.” she replied with surprise. “How do you know my name?” “I actually heard about you, and I’m a big fan of your heroism.” the tan Pegasus replied as he smiled at her. “My name is Meadow Brook, by the way. But you can just call me Meadow for short.” “It’s nice to meet you, Meadow.” Fluttershy smiled back at him. “I didn’t think I was good enough to have any fans.” “Well, now you do.” They smiled at each other for a moment before Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I should probably head back to my cottage. My animals are probably wondering where I am.” “That’s understandable.” Meadow nodded in understanding. “I hope I’ll be able to see you again soon.” “Me too, and it was nice meeting you.” the yellow Pegasus smiled at him. “Same here. See you around.” Meadow waved at her before turning and flying up into the air. Once he was gone, Fluttershy turned and trudged through the forest and returned to the familiar setting of her garden as she went up to the front door to her cottage and opened it. Once she opened the door, she spotted Discord laying down on the couch as he looked over at her with a grin. “Ah, there you are, Fluttershy.’ he said as he teleported over to her side. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up, but it seems you were out in the woods with your animals, hmm?” “I-I was.” she managed to say as the Draconequus closed the door for her. “I didn’t know you were coming over before the picnic.” “I was too excited to wait, so I decided to come to your home and spend the morning with you.” Discord said. “Oh, and I fed all your animals while you were gone.” “Really? Thank you, Discord. You didn’t have to do that for me, you know.” “You know I want to make you happy, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “So go on and wash yourself up. You are rather dirty.” Fluttershy looked down to see that her hoofs had dirt on them and the lower part of her tail had leaves and small twigs in them. “You’re right. I’ll be right back.” She turned and went up the stairs to her bathroom as Discord heard the door close. He heard thumping as he turned and looked down to see Angel glaring at him. “Sorry, little fellow, but I’m the king of this couch.” the Draconequus smirked at him as a crown materialized on his head. “So run along.” Angel didn’t seem to hear the last part as he hopped up and grabbed Discord by the lion paw and tried to pull him off the couch. The Lord of Chaos couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Do you really think you can pull me off this luxurious couch?” He rubbed his back against the couch as he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. This seemed to infuriate Angel further as he hopped onto Discord’s chest and kicked him on the nose. The Draconequus wasn’t hurt, but it did seem to annoy him slightly as he opened his eyes and gave the white bunny a bored look. “You know, you’re more of a brat than you realize.” Both of them heard hoofsteps from the stairs as they turned to see Fluttershy descending down the steps. “Ah, there you are, Fluttershy.” Discord smiled over at her as he took a sniff of the air. “You smell lovely.” “Thank you.” she smiled back as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Angel rolled his eyes as he hopped onto the floor and outside through an open window. They were incredibly cheesy together in his opinion, and wouldn’t be surprised if they fell in love with each other and got married. “Shall I make you some breakfast, my dear?” Discord asked. “I already had mine in case you were wondering.” “Oh, no thank you. I can do it on my own.” Fluttershy declined politely. “Nonsense. You need a pick-me-up before doing whatever it is you do after your morning meal.” Discord teleported them into the kitchen as a plate of 5 pancakes with syrup and a lump of butter on top materialized on the table as Fluttershy sat in the chair in front of the yummy looking meal and took a bite. “This is delicious!” Fluttershy proudly proclaimed. “I knew you’d like it.” Discord smirked with pride. “Only the best for a pretty mare like you.” She blushed from the compliment as she continued to eat her meal happily. After finishing all her pancakes, Discord made the plate disappear as they went out towards the animal sanctuary where the yellow Pegasus did as many tasks there as possible, with the help of her chaotic friend of course. They both stayed in the animal sanctuary all morning and into the early afternoon hours as Discord made his picnic basket materialize in his lion paw and floated behind Fluttershy to the park for the picnic. “Are we there yet?” Discord asked. “It feels like it’s been an eternity.” Fluttershy giggled. “We haven't been walking for that long, and we’re almost there.” “Well, I hope we get there soon. I’m hungry.” At long last, they reached the park and came to a stop in an open area as Discord snapped his fingers, causing a picnic blanket with a red and black checkered pattern to materialize on the ground before opening his picnic basket and pulling out a tray of cucumber sandwiches and the two plates of chocolate cupcakes as he placed them on the ground. “Are those the cupcakes you made?” Fluttershy asked. “Why yes they are.” Discord boasted in reply. “But don’t snack on them yet, we’ll have to wait until the others get here. No matter how boring it may sound.” he laid down on the blanket as Fluttershy took her seat next to him on his left, both of them waiting for the others to show up. Nearly a half hour has long since passed since Fluttershy and Discord showed up at the park for the picnic with the rest of the MANE 6, with the others yet to show up. The Draconequus was growing even more hungry by the seconds that passed by “Where are those friends of yours?” Discord asked impatiently. “I have the perfect mind to summon them with my magic.” “Discord, be patient.” Fluttershy said in a light scolding tone. “I’m sure my friends will be here soon.” “Well they better hurry up. The sandwiches and cupcakes won’t eat themselves.” The very thought of such a chaotic scene caused the Draconequus to chuckle. “Unless I make them.” A distant sonic boom could be heard as Fluttershy and Discord looked up in the air to see Rainbow Dash speeding towards them in the air before landing on the ground in front of the picnic basket. “Hey Fluttershy.” The cyan Pegasus smiled at her fillyhood friend before looking to see who accompanied her. “Oh, hi Discord.” Rainbow frowned at him. “Ah, Rainbow Dash. A pleasure to see you again.” Discord smiled at her as she took a seat at the picnic blanket. “Win any races lately?” “I haven’t even been in any races.” Rainbow replied, clearly annoyed by his presence. “Well, I’m sure you’ll win the first race you see.” Discord said with a calm smile. “After all, you are the fastest pony in the world.” “Gee thanks.” The sound of a teleportation could be heard as the group looked towards the path to see Twilight, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and an unfamiliar yellow unicorn mare walking up to the picnic blanket and sitting down. As the second ticked on, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie each came up to the picnic area one by one. “Sorry for being late, y’all.” Applejack said as she sat down at the picnic blanket. “Applebloom sprained her hoof this morning while apple bucking and I had to take care of her chores.” “I apologize for being late as well.” Rarity said as she sat down. “I had to take care of a last minute dress order.” “I had to handle the front desk at Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie said as she took her seat “Practice at Wonderbolts headquarters took longer than expected, so I was slowed down.” Rainbow Dash confessed. “And we lost track of time.” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “But it’s good to see you all again. You as well, Discord.” Everyone except for Fluttershy and Rainbow looked up at the spirit of chaos and disharmony with surprised expressions. The only ones who didn’t frown at him were Pinkie and Fluttershy. Twilight cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. “Girls, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, these are my friends: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and our kinda sort of friend Discord.” “Howdy.” “A pleasure to meet you.” “Sup?” “Hiya!” “Hi.” Discord, who was currently deep in thought, stared at Sunset for a moment. For some odd reason, that name sounded familiar. ‘Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer.’ the last time he heard that name… The Draconequus perked up as it all made sense. “Sunset Shimmer? As in Celestia’s old student?” he grinned at her “Um, yes that’s me.” Sunset nodded nervously. “And you’re Discord, the reformed spirit of chaos and disharmony?” “That’s me, and I’m free as a bird.” He transformed into a bald eagle with his mismatched wings still present, earning word looks from everyone except for Fluttershy and a giggle from Pinkie. “And it’s all thanks to my dear friend Fluttershy.” “Oh…you’re welcome.” Fluttershy mumbled shyly as she hid behind her mane. Discord transformed back into his normal form as he returned his attention to the yellow unicorn. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about my chaos in Equestria, just how I also heard about how you broke poor old Kay-Kay’s heart and ran away. Sunset raised an eyebrow at him despite her discomfort. “How do you know about that?” “Being turned to stone doesn’t take away your ability to hear things.” Discord replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, Celestia would sometimes show up to my statue and complain about all her woes and dilemmas. Not like I could help her anyway.” “Oh.” Sunset smiled nervously. “I probably should’ve guessed that.” “But it’s an honor to make your acquaintance.” Discord teleported over to her as he scooped her and Starlight up into his arms in a tight bear hug. “Us three reformed villains. Oh we’ll be the best of friends you and I.” “Discord…can’t…breathe.” Starlight gasped as the Draconequus placed them back in their respective spots. “Sorry about Discord, he’s not as well mannered like he should be.” Twilight said as she gave Sunset an apologetic smile. He gasped with fake hurt. “Why Twilight, how rude of you. I’m plenty well mannered!” to prove his point, he levitated one of the chocolate cupcakes into his lion paw and handed it to Sunset Shimmer. “Go on and taste it.” “Oh, n-no thanks.” Sunset declined. “I’m okay.” “Oh come on, try it. It’s not poisoned if that’s what you're thinking.” The yellow unicorn looked at for a moment before lighting up her horn and enveloping the chocolate cupcake in her magical grasp as she levitated it in front of her mouth and took a small bite. She chewed it thoughtfully for a second before humming thoughtfully and swallowing it. “That tastes pretty good.” Sunset said as she took another bite, this one slightly larger. “I know.” Discord smiled as he teleported back to his spot next to Fluttershy and sat down. “I baked them myself.” “It’s true.” Pinkie added in agreement. “He came over to Sugarcube Corner yesterday and I taught him how to bake!” she took one of the chocolate cupcakes into her hoof and took a large bite out of it, humming with delight. “Soooooo good!” Fluttershy took one of the chocolate cupcakes into her hoof as she took a bite out of it. “Oh my, this is delicious.” After hearing this, everyone else took their own cupcakes and took bites out of them as they shared similar reactions. “I have to admit, Discord, you did a really good job making these.” Twilight said as she smiled at him, one that wasn’t forced. “These are quite exquisite.” Rarity nodded in agreement as she took another bite of her cupcake. “They’re right.” Fluttershy smiled up at the Draconequus. “Oh Discord, I don’t know if I ever knew anyone more talented than you.” Discord didn’t know if he could take much more of the praise. Then again, he’d never been praised before. “Oh please, I’m not that talented.” he noticed that Sunset Shimmer was still a little nervous from his presence. “You think I’m intimidating, don’t you?” he asked her. Sunset looked up from her chocolate cupcake as she gave him a sheepish grin. “Oh, well I, uh…” “It's understandable, but I won’t harm a single hair on your head. Just learn to cut loose, enjoy some chaos.” Discord snapped his fingers as cotton candy clouds slowly began to form above the picnic area. Thunder rumbled from them and there were brief flashes of lightning from within the clouds as everyone glared at him. “Discord! Don’t you dare ruin my mane!” Rarity said in warning. “No, no! I want my chocolate rain!” Pinkie objected as she pointed her head straight up and opened her mouth wide expectantly. “Don’t listen to her, Discord.” Rainbow snapped. “You said you were gonna behave.” “While it’s true I said that I would use my magic for good instead of evil, I said I would do it most of the time.” Discord said, making sure to put emphasis in the last 4 words. “Besides, it’s been far too long since I last made my favorite food rain my favorite drink in the world.” A single droplet of chocolate milk fell on his head as another thunder rumble emitted from the cotton candy clouds. It was only a matter of time before it became a full on downpour. “Discord.” a soft and stern voice came from his side. He turned to look down at Fluttershy as she gave him a disapproving glare similar to the one a mother gave to her son when she caught him doing something wrong. It was honestly more adorable than intimidating in Discord’s opinion. “You really shouldn’t make it rain on others just for your own amusement.” Fluttershy scolded him. “And you promised you would behave.” Discord just laughed. “Oh relax, I’m only kidding.” he snapped his fingers as the cotton candy clouds disappeared. “Aww!” Pinkie whined as she gave him her best puppy dog eyes and quivered her lips in disappointment. Discord saw this as he snapped his fingers once again, causing a glass of chocolate milk to materialize in front of the pink earth pony as she happily took it in her hooves and drank it. “Now that we’re all settled down, why don’t we share what’s been going on.” Twilight suggested. “Well, I have something to share.” Applejack volunteered as she gave Rainbow Dash a knowing look. “Rainbow Dash has been spending a lot of time with a certain Wonderbolt.” All eyes turned to the cyan Pegasus as she shifted uncomfortably in her spot. “Well duh.” Rainbow said bluntly with slightly narrowed eyes. “Soarin and I are Wonderbolts, so it’s only natural that we’d practice our flying skills together.” “Who’s Soarin?” Sunset asked. “He’s a member of the Wonderbolts.” Rarity answered before giving Rainbow a knowing look. “And it appears that Rainbow Dash has taken an interest in him.” “W-what? No I haven’t!” Rainbow snapped flusteredly. “Soarin and I are just friends, and I’m not the kind of girl who does whatever it is you’re thinking.” “But you like him, don’t you?” Starlight asked. “Well…he is a Wonderbolt after all.” Rainbow Dash muttered as she felt a small blush coat her cheeks. “And I have found him to be pretty awesome.” she added that last paper in a quick mumble. “Oh Rainbow, I’m so happy for you.” Fluttershy smiled at her fillyhood friend. “It looks like you found your special somepony.” “Now hold on, I’m not even ready for that sort of thing!” Rainbow said as everyone laughed at her embarrassment. She realized her friends were only teasing as she let out a small chuckle. “Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about Twilight and Flash. They certainly look like they could tie the knot” “Rainbow!” Twilight snapped as she shot her friend a glare. “Flash and I aren’t even friends yet.” “Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the little date you both went on a couple weeks ago?” The Princess of Friendship felt a blush of her own heat up her cheeks as she let out a small grumble before clearing her throat and taking a bite out of her chocolate cupcake. “Well, if you must know, I took Flash for a little day out a couple weeks ago.” “Oh, and what exactly did you do to your crush?” Discord teased. Twilight’s blush darkened. “Well…we went to Sugarcube Corner to get some milkshakes.” “It’s true. I saw them there myself.” Pinkie added. “Oh, that’s so adorable.” Rarity gushed. “It looks like Rainbow isn’t the only one with a crush.” “I don’t have a crush!” Rainbow snapped sternly. “And I don’t even have the time to settle down and find a special somepony.” Twilight said with her own embarrassment and discomfort towards the situation. “Besides, if anyone has a good chance at starting a romance life, it’s probably Applejack.” All eyes turned to the cowgirl as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What are y’all talking about?” “Oh come on AJ, we know that Caramel’s been dropping in on your farm a lot lately.” Rainbow said as she took a bite of her chocolate cupcake and gave the orange earth pony a smirk. “It’s true.” Applejack shrugged honestly. For the past few weeks, Caramel had been visiting Sweet Apple Acres almost every day and helped out around the orchard, to which the Apple family was grateful for the extra help. “But do you like him?” asked Twilight. “I honestly don’t know. Caramel’s fine and all but I’m not sure he’s the one for me.” Applejack replied honestly. “It doesn’t hurt to consider the opposite, Applejack.” Starlight said as she took a bite out of one of the cucumber sandwiches. “I’ll keep that in mind.” “What about you, Starlight?” Sunset asked the light purple unicorn. “Do you have a special someone on your mind?” “Um, well…” a small blush coated Starlight’s cheeks as she looked away. “I might have a small crush on my fillyhood friend Sunburst.” “Oh, this is so exciting! All of us except for me, Fluttershy, Sunset, Rarity, and Discord have crushes!” Pinkie said happily. “And why would I have a crush on anyone?” Discord asked, clearly uninterested. “Why not? Wouldn’t it feel good to love somepony and have them love you in return?” Discord scoffed as he summoned a glass of chocolate milk and drank it. “Please, I’m a realist, and love, like all things warm and fuzzy, doesn't exist.” Fluttershy was slightly saddened by this but didn’t show it. “Oh! I nearly forgot.” she spoke up as everyone turned their attention to her. “Earlier this morning while I was helping a baby squirrel reunite with her mother, I met a pony named Meadow Brook.” “Meadow Brook?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow curiously. “He was really kind and gentle with the other baby squirrel that I was about to find, and he was shy when we first met, but that all changed when he saw me, and he confessed to being a big fan of my heroism.” Twilight was now grinning from ear to ear. “You have a fan? That’s so wonderful!” “It is?” Fluttershy asked shyly. “Yeah, Flutters.” Rainbow added on in agreement. “I mean, what’s wrong with having an admirer?” “I quite agree.” Rarity nodded. “If I ever had that kind of admiration, I would bask in it.” “Well, I admire you, Rarity.” Spike smiled at her. “Why thank you, Spikey-wikey.” the white unicorn smiled sweetly at him as he blushed a shade of pink. Discord didn’t know how much more of this he could take. It was one thing in his opinion to have fans, but a random fan just showing up out of the blue? That’s strange even for him, and he was often the cause of strange things. A bored expression came upon his features as he gulped down another chocolate cupcake whole. “Discord?” He looked down to his side to see Fluttershy looking at him with concern. “Is everything okay?” “But of course!” he instantly brightened up as he gave her a grin. “Why would I be the opposite?” “Well, you were being bored and distant when I was talking about Meadow Brook. Are you sure you’re alright?” “Fluttershy, I’m more fine than a cotton candy cloud raining chocolate milk.” Discord smiled. “I just find it strange that a random pony shows up out of nowhere and claims to be a ‘fan’ of your heroism.” “Why is that strange?” Fluttershy asked. “For one thing, you already have a fan. Your biggest fan is yours truly, me.” a butter yellow shirt with Fluttershy’s cutie mark materialized on Discord’s upper body as a pair of blush pink pom poms in his hand. He stood up and took a step back from the picnic blanket as he began waving his pom poms around. “Who’s the pony who’s really shy, who’s the pony who can hardly fly? Who’s the one who loves animals, and who’s the one who’s pure kindness? Well let me tell you a little tale, about the Pegasus who’s not weak and frail. She loves her friends oh so dear, and doesn’t cry a single tear. No matter what comes in her way, she’s super strong and oh so brave. So come on everyone and don’t be shy, let’s give it up for Fluttershy!” Discord launched into the shy and spread his arms out wide as blush pink confetti fired up from out of nowhere. He made it and his cheer leading outfit disappear as he teleported back to Fluttershy’s side at the picnic basket. “See, my dear? I’ll always be your number 1 fan.” “Thank you, Discord.” she smiled at him as everyone stared at him with strange expressions. “What?” Discord shrugged at the others. “You know Fluttershy’s my friend, so it’s only natural that I would take it in my pride to admire her as a fan.” Everyone stared at him for a moment longer before shrugging. Sometimes Discord just didn’t make any sense, and he always said that there’s no fun in making sense. The rest of the picnic went on without incident, or silly chaos interrupting it. After two and a half more hours, everyone began to take their leaves. “It was nice seeing you, girls!” Twilight called as she, Spike, Starlight, and Sunset Shimmer made their way back to the Castle of Friendship. “Bye bye, and I loved the cupcakes, Discord!” Pinkie waved as she hopped back to Sugarcube Corner. “Farewell.” Rarity said as she trotted back to her home. “Take care now ya hear?” Applejack called as she made her way back to her family farm. The only ones who remained were Fluttershy and Discord as he snapped his fingers and made the remaining food and picnic blanket float back into his picnic basket. “That was a lovely picnic, Fluttershy.” Discord said as they teleported back inside her cottage. “And I’m glad that you love my cupcakes.” “I do, and they’re so good.” Fluttershy smiled up at him. “I really meant it when I said that you were so talented.” “Why thank you.” Discord bowed. “And you don’t have to wait to try them another time, you know.” he snapped his fingers as one of the cupcake plates with 5 chocolate cupcakes on them floated out of his picnic basket and onto the table next to the couch. “You can even have some of your own.” “Really? Thank you.” Fluttershy flew up and wrapped her forelegs around his chest as he wrapped his arms around her body. “I hope I’ll see you soon.” “I do as well, but I’ll have to check my schedule.” Discord nuzzled her mane before placing her back on the ground. “Farewell, Fluttershy. Until next time.” He disappeared in a flash of light with his picnic basket as Fluttershy smiled to herself as she sat down in her chair next to the table and began to eat one of the cupcakes. As she ate in silence, her mind drifted off to the little cheer leading the Lord of Chaos did. It wasn’t nicely written and it didn’t rhyme, but it was still a chant for her and she liked it. She giggled to herself as she continued to eat her cupcake, happy that Discord was one of her biggest fans. Once Discord returned to his castle, he teleported his picnic basket to the kitchen and went to his bedroom as he sprawled out on his bed and let out a relaxed sigh. He enjoyed the picnic with Fluttershy and her friends and was glad to show that he was her number 1 fan. His thoughts soon drifted off to the pony Fluttershy was talking about as his smile melted into a frown. It was still strange to him that a random pony, let alone a stallion, would fly in and declare to be a big fan of his favorite pony. A pang of suspicion emitted within Discord’s mind. ‘If that Meadow Brook guy turns out to be a fraud, I’ll turn him into a cupcake and eat him.’ he thought as he narrowed his eyes slightly. He never met him, but something told him he wasn’t going to like him, fan of Fluttershy or not. To be continued… Author's Note I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2. This was the longest chapter I’ve written so far with over 11,000 words, and it’s a new record for me! 😀 The cupcake recipe in this story is actually a recipe that I found on a baking website Here is the image of the cupcake: Here is the link to the website: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/super-moist-chocolate-cupcakes/ I do not own the image nor the recipe and website. And my first original character (OC) for this story, Meadow Brook, has now been introduced. Will there be a love triangle? Will Meadow Brook and Fluttershy become friends? Will Discord get jealous? Let me know if I made any spelling or grammar mistakes and stay tuned and find out what happens next, as the story continues! 😀
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 3It had been 3 days since the picnic. Fluttershy walked towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary supply shed with a pair of saddlebags on her back, but she wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by the Ponyville Veterinarian, Dr. Fauna. Work had been piling up at the animal sanctuary for days now that more and more animals from across the land had been moving in and calling the tranquil oasis their home, and that required more hours of Fluttershy’s time. She could’ve asked one of her friends for an extra pair of hooves to assist with all the tasks, heck she could’ve asked Discord to take care of them all with the snap of his fingers, but refrained from doing so in hopes to not disturb them or waste their time. The only pony she could turn to was Dr. Fauna, who was more than happy to help out. “Thanks again for helping me out at the animal sanctuary, Dr. Fauna.” Fluttershy smiled at her gratefully. “It’s no trouble, Fluttershy,” Dr. Fauna smiled back. “When I heard that there were more animals living here and you were struggling with your tasks, I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to jump in and help.” “And I’m really grateful for that.” They reached the supply shed as Fluttershy pulled out the key from underneath the mat and unlocked the door. It opened as she placed the key back underneath the mat and stepped inside with the Ponyville Veterinarian following close behind. Once they were inside, the yellow Pegasus closed the door as they both took off their saddlebags and opened them, getting to work organizing the much needed goods they purchased while in town. As they placed their items onto the shelves, Fluttershy searched her saddlebags with a confused frown. It appeared that certain items were missing. “Where are the fish?” she asked. “I thought I had some when we were coming back here?” Dr. Fauna turned to look at her. “I thought so as well.” she turned to look inside her saddlebags, her expression changing into one of confusion and worry. “I don’t think we got any while we were at the market.” “Oh dear, I knew I was forgetting something.” “Do you want me to make a quick run to the market?” Dr. Fauns asked. “No thank you, it’s my fault for forgetting the fish.” Fluttershy declined politely. “I’ll go and get some more fish myself.” “Are you sure? I’d be happy to take care of that for you.” “I’m sure, and I won’t be gone for too long.” “Well…if you’re sure.” “I am.” Fluttershy said as she emptied her saddlebags and placed them on her back. “I’ll be right back.” She stepped out of the supply shed and made her way into Ponyville as she went up to the fish stand. “Hey, Fluttershy.” The yellow Pegasus let out a surprised yelp as she came to a sudden stop. She turned around and gasped in surprise at the sight of a rather familiar Pegasus stallion. “Meadow!” Meadow Brook smiled at her. “Surprise.” “It’s so good to see you.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “What are you doing here?” “I’m moving into one of the houses on the northern outskirts from my old home in Whinnyapolis, today,” he replied. “I got a position as a vet at the animal hospital here a couple days ago and my first day of work is 2 days from now.” “That’s so wonderful. I’m sure Dr. Fauna and the animals are gonna like the extra help and company.” “I’m glad to hear it.” Meadow smiled. “I really like animals.” Fluttershy was surprised. “You do?” “Yup. I’ve liked them ever since I was a foal. I would sometimes sneak out from my parents cottage during the day and go into the forest to be with the animals that lived there. They were really nice, and I always had lots of fun with them.” “What was it like living near the forest? Wasn’t that dangerous?” “Nope. It was really nice, and my parents started an animal adoption company before I was born. It provided lots of money for us, and it was always a pleasure to make the pets happy with their new owners.” Meadow smiled at the memories, until his smile fell into a remorseful frown. “Well It was, until my father grew seriously ill when I was 8. His illness prevented him from working and he had to stay in bed all the time. Me and my mom had to take care of him as well as his tasks, but he passed away a few weeks later after his sickness was discovered.” Fluttershy felt a wave of sympathy for the light brown Pegasus. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. Your father must have meant a lot to you and your mom.” “He did,” Meadow agreed, memories of his father filling his mind. “My mom’s still alive and lives at our home, but I sometimes worry that without me and my dad, she’ll fall behind with her tasks.” “If you want any help, don’t hesitate to ask me.” Fluttershy said as she placed her hoof on his shoulder comfortingly. “Thanks.” Meadow smiled at her before changing the subject. “But enough about me; what are you doing here at the market?” I forgot to buy some more fish for the ferrets at my animal sanctuary, so I’m just buying some more.” “Do you want me to do that for you?” “Oh, no. I couldn’t allow you to do something that I’m more than capable of doing. Besides, I forgot to buy more fish when I was here with Dr. Fauna.” “It’s no problem.” Meadow smiled at her. “I’ll even carry it back to your animal sanctuary for you.” “No Meadow, it’s okay. I can do this myself.” “I insist, Fluttershy. I’ll buy you your fish and I’ll bring it back with you.” Not taking no for an answer, he went up to the fish stand. “I’d like two bags of medium sized fish, please.” he said to the stallion running the fish booth. “That’ll be 10 bits.” he said as the light brown Pegasus handed him the demanded amount, receiving the bags of fish shortly afterwards. “Here you go.” “Thanks.” Meadow said as he took the bags into his mouth and flew over to Fluttershy. “See? I told you it was no trouble.” “Thanks, Meadow.” she smiled at him. “That was really nice of you.” “It was no problem.” he smiled back. “Now come on, let’s go to your animal sanctuary and drop these off.” Meadow Brook picked up the bags into his mouth once more and turned around, stopping at the sight of a pink earth pony mare with a pink poofy mane and tail with a trio of balloons for a cutie mark he didn’t recognize. She stared at him with a frozen wide-eyed expression as the light brown Pegasus felt uneasy. “Uh, hello?” he said through his clipped mouth. Suddenly, Pinkie sprang into the air with a sharp and long gasp as she sped off, leaving Meadow in a confused daze. “Who was that?” Meadow asked as he placed the bags down and looked at Fluttershy with confusion. “That was my friend Pinkie, but don’t worry about that. She always acts like that when there’s a new pony in town.” the yellow Pegasus said. “If you say so.” Meadow reluctantly said as he followed Fluttershy out of town and towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Once they reached it, Meadow Brook looked around in amazement. “Wow, this place is so big and peaceful!” he marveled. “I know you loved animals, but I never thought you’d go so far as to make them a home.” “Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled. “I’m planning on expanding the animal sanctuary to allow more room for the animals. The plans are almost done, and soon creatures of all kinds can live here.” “Really? It seems big enough to me.” Meadow said. “N-not that I think your animal sanctuary is too big already.” he quickly added. “I hope I didn’t offend you.” Fluttershy giggled. “Don’t worry you didn’t. My animal sanctuary was big enough, but more animals have been moving in for the last few days and there hasn't been that much room for the ones who already live here. I’ve been super busy with the increase in tasks that need to be done every day.” “Would you like for me to help you with your tasks for today?” Meadow asked. “Oh, no thank you, Meadow.” Fluttershy replied. “I’ll be fine on my own.” “Are you sure? An extra pair of hooves on the job wouldn’t hurt, right?” “I am. I just don’t want to waste your time when you should be at your new home unpacking your things.” Fluttershy said. “It’s not a waste of my time at all.” Meadow smiled at her. “I’d love to help out around here. Besides, I’m in no hurry to unpack my stuff, it can wait.” “But-” “Fluttershy, I want to help you in any way I can while we’re here,” he insisted. “It won’t be a waste of my time. Plus, isn’t helping out others showing a little kindness?” At the mention of the word ‘kindness’, Fluttershy knew she couldn’t turn down an offer like that. Sighing in defeat, she gave him a smile. “Alright, you can help out around the animal sanctuary for today.” “Great!” Meadow beamed with happiness. “I guess we’re starting by dropping off the fish and organizing your supplies?” “Mmm-hmm.” Fluttershy nodded as they continued through Sweet Feather Sanctuary up to the supply shed. Once they entered it, Meadow Brook placed the bags on the ground as he rubbed the sides of his jaw. “Are you alright, Meadow?” Fluttershy looked at him with concern. “I hope carrying those bags didn’t hurt you.” “Don’t worry they didn’t.” he said as he smiled at her. “I’m just a little sore from holding them for so long.” Before the yellow Pegasus could continue fretting over him, he quickly added, “So where do the fish go?” “Oh, they go inside the refrigerator in the closet.” Fluttershy pointed to the door at the back of the shed as he picked up the bags of fish and entered the closet. After finishing his task, he exited the small room and closed the door behind him. “So what else needs to be done?” Meadow asked. Pinkie Pie hummed to herself as she took a tray of chocolate cupcakes out of the oven in the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner. With another new face in Ponyville, it was now her sworn duty to throw him a ‘Welcome-To-Ponyville’ party, one where he’ll make all sorts of friends and remember for an extremely long time. She grabbed a frosting squirter and began squirting chocolate brown frosting onto the cupcakes as she heard the door open followed by the bell above it ringing. She placed the frosting squirter on the counter as she stepped out of the kitchen and gasped at who she saw. Leaning against the side of the doorway was a rather familiar yellow earth pony stallion wearing a gray cape and hat covering his eyes with a party noise maker in his mouth. “Been a long time, Pinkie Pie.” he said in a low tone. “Cheese!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly as she zipped up to him and wrapped her forelegs around him tightly. “It’s so good to see you again!” “Likewise.” Cheese Sandwich said as he wrapped his forelegs around her before breaking the embrace. “I know you’re wondering why I’m here.” Pinkie gasped. “How did you know?” “My Cheese Senses were-a tingling, and they told me that there’s gonna be a party right here in Ponyville. Tonight. So I mosied on down here to help make the party you’re planning an even bigger one.” “Really? What do you have in mind?” “Well first, why don’t we go and have a look at your plans?” “Okie-dokie-lokie! Just follow me down to my secret party planning cave and we’ll get straight to work!” Pinkie said as she opened a trap door in the floor and slid down the slide hidden beneath it, squealing in delight. Cheese Sandwich took off his hat and cape and spat out his noise maker as he brightened to his normal cheery demeanor. “Now that looks like fun!” He jumped onto the slide and slid down into the hidden party planning cave of Sugarcube Corner as he shut the trap door and rode the ride down into the grown, laughing with delight as he reached the bottom and stood up, looking around the party playing cave with amazement. “Now this is a party planning cave!” “I know, right?” Pinkie said from her desk over by the filing cabinets as Cheese trotted up to her. Once he sat down next to her, she pulled out a map of Ponyville with some sketches on it and placed it on the table. “What I’ve already planned for the Welcome-To-Ponyville party isn’t much. There’s just gonna be games, balloons, pinatas, party food of all kinds, and a dance floor over here near the fountain.” Pinkie explained as she pointed to the said location. “Any suggestions?” Cheese Sandwich looked at the map and hummed in thought before brightening, an idea forming in his head. “What if we built a stage right here in front of Town Hall?” “That’s an idea.” Pinkie said as she sketched a stage in front of Ponyville Town hall. “Anything else?” “How about a banner above the stage? You can’t have a welcoming party without a banner.” The pink earth pony gasped. “You’re right!” She quickly sketched it down on the map before embracing Cheese. “Thanks for the ideas, Cheese. You’re the best! This is gonna be the bestest and most funerific party in the world!” “I have my moments.” he smiled as Pinkie broke the embrace. “Now all that’s left is to hand out the invitations and build the stage and decorate the town.” “One step ahead of you!” Pinkie reached underneath the desk and pulled out two baskets filled to the brim with party invitations. “I made invitations for everyone in Ponyville, including Discord. All we have to do is hand them out and we can spend the rest of the day decorating!” “That sounds fun!” Cheese grinned. “Ooh, how about we make this a race?” “A race?” “Yeah! Whoever finishes handing out invitations all across town wins a cupcake.” At the mention of the reward, which happened to be her favorite thing to eat in the entire world, she knew she couldn’t resist a challenge like that. Pinkie perked up with a competitive smirk. “You’re on, Cheesy. But don’t think I’m going easy on you because we’re friends.” “Agreed.” he nodded in agreement as they both spat into their hooves and shook them. “The invitation hand-out competition will begin in 5…” Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie stood up and picked up the invitation baskets as they placed them on heads. “4…” Pinkie moved over to the slide as Cheese frowned in confusion. “Uh, how are we supposed to get out of here?” he asked. “3 2 1 go!” Pinkie finished rapidly as she sat down on the slide and slid upwards, leaving Cheese in an impressed gaze before grinning. “A slide that you can slide up, that's genius!” He sat down on the slide and slid up the darkness until he reached the main level of Sugarcube Corner. He stepped out of the ground and closed the trap door as he trotted outside the building and raced all over the place, shoving invitation after invitation into mailbox after mailbox, laughing all the way as he heard Pinkie giggling from her spot not too far away from him. She popped up at random locations at a super fast pace across town and placed her own batch of invitations into the mailboxes, occasionally giving Cheese a smirk as if to say ‘I’m gonna win!’ He shot her his own competitive smirk as he began popping up at random locations across Ponyville at an even faster speed, much to her surprise bewilderment for a moment before continuing to hand out invitations. They both ended up finishing at the exact same time as they returned to Sugarcube Corner, panting from exhaustion. “That…was…so much fun!” Pinkie cheered as she jumped into the air. “I had no idea you could pop up out of nowhere like me!” “Me neither,” Cheese agreed honestly. “But hey, at least I made the competition even, and we can both have a cupcake each.” “You’re right! Let’s go and get our grub on before we build the stage.” They both went inside Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie pulled out cupcakes for them both as they sat at an empty table. “So how are we gonna make the stage?” Cheese asked. “Don’t worry about that. I hired a construction team and they should be building the stage as we speak.” Pinkie replied. “Now we have the entire afternoon to decorate the town square and have lots and lots of fun afterwards!” “Sounds like a plan to me!” After finishing their snake break together, both party ponies exited Sugarcube Corner and went to Ponyville town square. True to Pinkie’s word, a construction team was building a stage in front of town hall. Now all that had to be done was decorate the town and the party would be ready. “So where are the decorations?” Cheese Sandwich asked. “We didn’t even bring a box.” Pinkie pulled out her party cannon. “Right here.” she tapped it as she fired it, causing a massive barrage of party decorations, games, tables, snack and dinner tables, and a dancefloor onto the much needed locations. “That’s a relief.” Cheese said with a grin before he began to shake violently, retelling his teeth in the process. “What’s going on?” Pinkie asked with concern. “Is that a doozy?” “Even worse,” he replied grimly once his shaking subsided. “A teenaged colt needs an emergency birthday party at his home in Manehattan.” “An urgent birthday party? That sounds super duper important!” “It is.” Cheese pulled out his hat and cape as he placed a noise maker in his mouth. “Which means I gotta ride.” he said in his low tone. “You mean you’re leaving me to finish preparing for the Welcome-To-Ponyville party on my own?” Pinkie asked with disappointment. “You just got here.” “I know, my little pony. But a party pony’s gotta party, and there ain’t no stoppin’ me from throwing’ parties across Equestria.” “But I’ll miss you!” Cheese smiled at her. “I’ll miss you too, my fellow partner in crime.” he placed his rubber chicken, Boneless Two on his back. “Well, Boneless Two, looks like we’ve got a long road ahead of us. Let’s ride.” And with that, the yellow earth pony turned and left town as Pinkie waved at him with a smile. “Thank you for helping! I’ll never forget you!” she called out to him as he headed down the path. Meadow Brook had been helping out at Sweet Feather Sanctuary all afternoon. The sun was beginning to set by the time all the day’s tasks had been completed. “Thanks for helping out today, Meadow.” Fluttershy said as she smiled at him. They were both en route to her cottage and he’d insisted on walking her home. “You’re welcome, Fluttershy.” he smiled back. “It was really nice working at your animal sanctuary.” “It was, and the animals really seem to like you.” They both trudged up the path to Fluttershy’s cottage as she unlocked the door and opened it, immediately being greeted by Angel as he stared at the unfamiliar Pegasus stallion with curiosity. “Angel, this is Meadow Brook.” Fluttershy introduced. “He moved into Ponyville today and helped me out at the animal sanctuary. Meadow, this is my pet, Angel.” “Nice to meet you, little guy.” Meadow spoke softly as he held out his hoof and allowed the small white bunny to sniff it before nuzzling it with a smile. “Aww, I think he likes you.” Fluttershy smiled as Angel pulled away and nodded his head in confirmation. “Well, I hate to cut this visit so short, but I need to head back home and continue to unpack my things.” Meadow said as he turned to leave. “I hope I’ll see you soon, Fluttershy.” “Me too, I really appreciated your help today, Meadow.” Fluttershy waved at him before he trudged down the path and went back into Ponyville. As Meadow walked into town, he noticed that there were significantly less ponies out and about, which confused him. Earlier that day, the town was nearly crowded with tons of the residents present doing their own things, and now it seemed as if they were settling down for the night way earlier than usual. Meadow then spotted a large stage in front of town hall, which heightened his curiosity. Was the town about to have some kind of a political rally or a public performance? What was going on today that involved the lack of residents outside and a large stage in front of the town center? He then shrugged to himself and continued to his new home. He didn’t know much about Ponyville and did just move in today after all. Whistling to himself, he reached the outskirts suburbs and entered his home, determined to finish unpacking his stuff. Back at Fluttershy’s cottage, she was currently pulling out the mail from her mailbox when something caught her eye within the many letters and advertisements. She stepped back inside her home and placed the letters on the living room table as she picked up a pink envelope and opened it. Immediately afterwards, a small amount of confetti shot up from the torn hole as the yellow Pegasus pulled out a pink card and read it to herself. “In honor of meeting a brand new pony in Ponyville, I Pinkie Pie, invite you to my Welcome-To-Ponyville party in town square tonight at 7:00 sharp, so don’t be late.” Fluttershy closed the invitation and placed it on the table with a small smile. No doubt that the party was for Meadow Brook, maybe even Sunset Shimmer. “A party? Never been to one of those before.” a deep voice echoed throughout the living room as Discord materialized on the couch. “I hope they’re fun, especially this one.” “Discord, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what did you mean when you said you never been to a party before?” “Exactly that, Fluttershy. I’ve never been to a fun party that doesn’t involve formal wear and classical music like the Grand Galloping Gala but rather one of Pinkie’s.” Discord replied. “Plus, I found this little thing in my mailbox just a second ago.” He held out his lion paw as a card similar to the one she had materialized on it. “You received an invitation too? That’s so wonderful.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “Now we can go together.” “Oh I agree wholeheartedly. I hope the new pony in town is someone who appreciates my chaos, or at least likes to go pranking.” “I…don’t think that’ll be the case.” “How so?” Discord asked as he stuffed his invitation in a pocket in his chest fur. “It’s not like that ‘Welcome-To-Ponyville’ party is for Sunset Shimmer. That would’ve been done days ago, that’s for sure.” “Well, yes, but I think the party’s for Meadow Brook.” Discord raised an eyebrow at her. “You mean that stallion you met in the woods before the picnic?” “Maybe,” Fluttershy replied shyly. “It’s just a thought.” “Either way, I can’t wait to spend the evening being a party animal with you, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “Me too.” Fluttershy smiled back. “In that case, I must now take my leave. Ta ta for now.” and with that, Discord disappeared in a flash of light. A few hours later, the sun was setting with only a few minutes before 7 pm. Fluttershy fed all her animals and ensured that they were all settled down for the night before moving to the front door and opening it. Immediately afterwards, Discord teleported onto the welcome mat with confetti shooting behind him, causing the yellow Pegasus to jump with a surprised yelp. “I see you’re all ready to go.” The Draconequus smiled at her as he bowed and extended his lion paw. “Shall we, m’lady?” Despite feeling slightly shaken up from the scare, she couldn't help but giggle at his gentlecoltness as she placed her hoof in his paw and teleported with him into town square. Once they got there, they immediately noticed that all of Ponyville’s residents were all gathered around, chatting amongst themselves with music being played in the background. Fluttershy searched throughout the crowd until she spotted her friends closer to stage as she and Discord made their way over to them. The rest of the MANE 6, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunset Shimmer turned to see Fluttershy approaching them with Discord, much to everyone except Pinkie’s surprise. “Hey Fluttershy, glad you could make it.” Twilight smiled at her. “Good to see you as well, Discord.” she added, her smile becoming somewhat forced. “Why are you even here?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow in confusion. “I don’t remember you even being invited.” “Ah, but I was.” Discord said as he pulled out his invitation from his chest fur pocket. “See? And it’s not fake if that’s what you’re thinking.” “But still, why did you get an invitation?” Rarity asked. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but normally you’re not here with us whenever there’s a celebration.” “Oh, it’s because I figured that Discord deserved to be around us more often.” Pinkie replied. “After all, he did help Starlight, Trixie, and Thorax save everyone from the changelings.” “That is a good point.” Sunset nodded in understanding, knowing full well this was a form of gratitude. “Shouldn't somepony go and get the guest of honor?” Rainbow asked. “It’s all taken care of.” Pinkie said as she bounded up and down. “It took a while but I managed to find his house on the outskirts of Ponyville.” “How do you even know where he lives, let alone his gender?” Starlight asked. “I saw him earlier today with Fluttershy, and all I had to do was go to the house that was for sale and slip an invitation in the mailbox. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, and all we have to do is hide!” “But where can we hide?” Spike asked. “All the good hiding spots are full.” “‘Tis a simple solution, my little ponies.” Discord spoke up as he snapped his fingers, causing everyone to become transparent. “We’ll simply have to be invisible until our guest of honor shows up.” Everyone looked at themselves only to find out that they couldn’t see each other. It was a strange situation, but a short one at that. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Fluttershy said as she smiled at her chaotic friend, only to frown in confusion at the realization that she couldn’t see him. “Oh, right…I can’t see you.” she blushed in embarrassment, thankful that no one could see her red cheeks. “While I agree that invisibility will work out well, I highly doubt I’ll like seeing myself like this.” Rarity said as she looked down at her invisible self. “I miss seeing my mane already.” “It’s only temporary until the guest of honor gets here.” Discord said as he waved away her concern dismissively. “Besides, it’s either this or hide away with the other ponies and get all sorts of germs from them in an alley. The very idea of contracting the sweat and/or germs from the townsfolk caused a shiver of disgust to travel down her spine. “On second thought, remaining invisible for a short period of time sounds lovely.” The Draconequus bit back a small chuckle as he smirked in amusement. “Discord’s right, everyone. Anyway, I’ll go ahead and turn off the lights.” Twilight said as she lit up her horn and dimmed the spotlights that illuminated the town square to total darkness. Meadow Brook stepped out of his new home on the outskirts of Ponyville as he took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. The air was nice and fresh and lacked any foul stenching smells from deep within the Everfree Forest. As he looked around his fenced front lawn, he noticed a card wedged into the flag of his mailbox. He went over to it and pulled the card out as he opened it and read it. If you received this card, then you’re invited to a party in town square. It starts in a few minutes, so don’t be late. Meadow raised an eyebrow. A party was being held in the town in a few minutes and he just now received an invitation? That caused a wave of suspicion and confusion to wash over him. Nevertheless, he tucked the card back inside his mailbox as he made his way into Ponyville. The sun had set over the horizon and Princess Luna’s moon rose up into the cloud-free starry night sky. Meadow entered town square and looked around in confusion. The stage still stood in front of town hall but there wasn’t anypony around. It was calm and quiet like every town would be during the nighttime hours, but the invitation said that there was a party being held here and it would start soon. ‘This is probably a prank.’ Meadow thought as he turned to return to his home. Suddenly, bright lights turned on from out of nowhere and illuminated the entire area as a large banner dangled down from city hall as he looked up to see a written message on it. Welcome to Ponyville! Before he could contemplate on that, a bright flash of light flashed in front of him as every townsfolk of Ponyville including a purple dragon and a tall serpent-like dragon with mismatched body parts teleported in front of him. “SURPRISE!” Everyone shouted as Meadow jumped in surprise. He placed a hoof over his fastly beating heart as he looked around in confusion. Everyone was smiling at him as if he were one of the most important ponies in Equestria, further confusing him. “Um, what’s going on?” he asked as he furrowed a brow in confusion. “Why is everyone smiling to see me?” “Because, this is your Welcome-To-Ponyville party, and you’re the guest of honor!” a pink earth pony with a poofy pink mane and tail spoke up from the crowd as she bounced over to him. “Do you like surprise? Huh, huh, do you?” “Um, w-well…yes. It’s very welcoming.” “Great!” She turned to the stage. “DJpon3, drop the beat!” On stage, the said DJ nodded from her turn tables as she placed a music disk on the record player, causing upbeat party music to play as the other guests dispersed from their position and went to various locations across the town square. “Allow me to introduce myself.” the pink earth pony said as she placed a hoof on her chest. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, but you can call me Pinkie! I’m one of the bearers of the Element of Harmony, and I represent the Element of Laughter. I’m also the best party planner in Ponyville!” She spoke at an impossibly fast pace; it was difficult for the average pony to understand her, but Meadow managed to understand some of her monologue. “It’s nice to meet you.” he smiled at her. “I’ve actually heard a lot about you and your friends, including Fluttershy.” Pinkie gave him a suspicious look. “How do I know you’re not a spy here to doom all of Equestria, or Queen Chrysalis in a disguise?” “What? I’m not a spy.” Meadow said defensively. “I’m a regular Pegasus, and my name’s Meadow Brook.” Pinkie narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. “Oh relax, I’m only kidding. From what Fluttershy told us you’re a pretty nice and handsome guy!” The light brown Pegasus blushed slightly from the compliment. “Allow me to introduce the rest of Ponyville.” Pinkie zipped off as she pointed to the other residents of Ponyville. “This is Lyra Heartstrings, Bon-Bon, Derpy, Time Turner, Snips, Snails…” As Pinkie kept zipping around and pointed at the other guests, Twilight and her friends took advantage of their party companion and trotted up to Meadow. “Don’t mind Pinkie. She’s just happy that there’s a new face in town and wants you to have lots of friends.” Twilight said. “My name is-” “Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.” Meadow finished as he bowed. “I’m Meadow Brook. It’s a really big honor to meet you, your majesty.” “There’s no need to bow. I don’t do formalities, and you can call me Twilight.” “Oh, I-I’m terribly sorry, your highness, I mean, Twilight.” Meadow blushed as he rose to his full height. ”I’m now used to being around royalty, and I’m a little nervous.” “It’s alright.” Twilight giggled. “Anyway, these are my friends-” “Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and I already met Fluttershy.” he frowned as he looked at the three other ponies that were with the group. “Oh, these are my other friends; this is Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Flash Sentry.” Twilight added. “Wow, Fluttershy wasn’t kidding when she said you were her fan., but I never thought you would hear about the rest of us.” Rainbow said as she flew up to him and held out her hoof. “Good to see you, Meadow.” “Same here.” Meadow smiled as they shook hooves. “I too wish to extend a welcome to you, darling.” Rarity smiled sweetly at him. “Howdy, sugar cube.” Applejack tipped her hat. “It’s great to see you again, Meadow.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “Welcome to Ponyville.” Spike said as he went up to him and held out his claw. Despite feeling a little shy around the others, Meadow couldn’t help but feel a little excited to meet the Number 1 assistant of the Princess of Friendship. “It’s an honor to meet you, Oh Great and Honorable Spike The Brave and Glorious.” Spike shook his hoof with an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched his head. “I take it you’ve heard of my heroic deeds in the Crystal Empire, haven’t you?” “How could I not?” Meadow smiled at him. “You did save it from King Sombra and again during the Equestria games. It’s not every day we see a dragon become a hero.” “I most certainly agree.” Rarity said as she trotted up to Spike’s side and smiled sweetly at him. “While it’s not common a dragon would save us ponies from danger, Spikey-wikey here proved the opposite, and I find that to be very impressive.” She batted her eyelashes at him as he blushed a shade of red. “...Bulk Biceps, Berry Punch, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Pipsqueak, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike!” Pinkie reappeared as she finished introducing everyone. “Did I forget anypony?” “Ya forgot us.” Meadow turned to see 3 fillies trotting up to him. “Oh yeah.” Pinkie nodded in realization. “Sorry.” “Applebloom. I thought I told you to stay back at home and rest your hoof.” Applejack scolded with a stern frown. “I was, but Granny looked at it and said that it was good enough for me to come to the party, so here I am.” Applebloom said before turning to the guest of honor with a smile. “But anyway, my name’s Applebloom, and these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Together, we’re known as…” “The Cutie Mark Crusader!” The trio cheered in unison. “It’s nice to meet you three, I’m Meadow Brook.” he smiled. “So what is it that the Cutie Mark Crusaders do to help other ponies your age get their cutie marks?” “We’re on a crusade to help blank flanks find their cutie marks!” Scootaloo answered. “No matter the weather…” “...Whether it’s rain, snow, hail, sleet, or shine…”Sweetie Belle added. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are on the case!” Applebloom concluded as the trio shared a high-five. “I see.” Meadow nodded in understanding. “So what have you done so far to help other blank flanks get their cutie marks?” “Well, a new student in our school named Spotlight loves acting, so we asked our teacher Miss Cheerilee to allow her to write a school play, and she said yes.” “Really? What’s the play gonna be about?” “It’s a superhero space adventure drama.” Applebloom replied. “Our class has been rehearsing for over a month, and tomorrow’s opening night.” “It’s true.” Applejack added in agreement. “We’ve already gotten our tickets.” “I hope I can get my own ticket,” said Meadow. “Tickets are still on sale until tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll have enough time to get one before the show,” said Sweetie Belle. “That’s good to hear.” Sunset spoke up. “I’m kind of interested in seeing your show as well.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders turned to her in confusion, not at all recognizing her. “Uh, who are you?” asked Applebloom. “Oh, I’m Sunset Shimmer. I’m friends with Twilight and I-” “Came here for a week's vacation.” Twilight interrupted her as she teleported to Sunset’s side. “She’s a teacher in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and recently got permission to come here and make some friends. After all, there’s more to life than teaching students and reading books. Right, Sunset?” The yellow unicorn raised an eyebrow in confusion at her as Twilight nudged her in the arm with a forced cough. It took Sunset a moment to realize what she was getting at as she nodded in agreement with a forced smile. “Y-yeah, I am. And Ponyville sure is nice and peaceful compared to Canterlot.” she said with a small chuckle. The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t seem to suspect the little fib as they smiled at her. “Well, it’s good that you’re taking a break from teaching,” said Applebloom. “We hope you enjoy your time here in Ponyville.” “Us too.” Scootaloo added in agreement. “Come on girls, let’s dance!” “Yeah!” The trio scampered off to the dancefloor as Twilight sighed with relief. “What was that all about?” Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry about that, Sunset, but I didn’t want them to know that you’re from the other world.” Twilight explained. “Why not? I’m sure they’d understand, right?” “Yeah, but what if they got too curious and wound up going into the portal in my library?” Twilight explained. “Or worse, what if they got stuck in another universe and couldn’t return?” “No argument there.” Sunset nodded. “Better safe than sorry.” “I agree.” a voice echoed in the air. “Then again, what’s wrong with adventuring at a young age?” “Discord, get your rump out here and say hi to the guest of honor.” Applejack called into the air. “It ain’t nice to do that.” “No need to shout, Applejack.” the said Draconequus said from behind Meadow, causing him to jump in surprise. “I’m not that rude, you know.” He bent down to Meadow’s eye level with a toothy grin. “Discord, reformed spirit of chaos and disharmony, at your service.” “You’re not that reformed.” Rainbow muttered under her breath. Discord gasped with mock hurt as he rose to his full height. “Why Rainbow Dash, how utterly rude of you to say such a thing. I most certainly am reformed, and I’m quite the angel if I do say so myself.” His mismatched wings became large angel wings as a hollow materialized above his head. “See? Like this.” Fluttershy placed a hoof to her mouth with a giggle as the other rolled their eyes. “Whatever.” Discord shrugged as his wings returned to normal and the hollow disappeared as his attention returned to the light brown pegasus stallion in front of him. “Anyway, let me extend my most humble welcome to Ponyville.” “I-It’s nice to meet you too.” Meadow said nervously. “Is it true that you can make it rain chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds?” “Oh, you should’ve seen what I did back in my reign! Making it rain my favorite drink is one of my many childsplay talents.” Discord grinned toothily. “I can show you if you want.” “U-um…well, I uh…” The Draconequus bursted into laughter. “Oh I’m just kidding, m’boy. You really need to have more fun in life, you know that?” “I-I do, but-” “Don’t mind Discord.” Fluttershy said as she went up to Meadow’s side. “He’s just happy that you’re here.” “But of course.” Discord said in agreement, emphasizing how obvious it was despite growing suspicion inside him. “After all, me and my boys are looking for new members to our O&O game.” “Ogres and Oubliettes?” Meadow guessed. A bell dinged from out of nowhere. “He is correct!” Discord proudly proclaimed. “Enough with all this chit-chat. Let’s party!” said Pinkie as she bounded over to the dance floor. The other turned and followed her as Meadow Brook followed them. “Before you go any further, Meadow, I wish to have a word with you.” He froze in his tracks as he turned back to Discord nervously. “W-what about?” “Nothing serious, just a quick word with you before we get our party hats on.” Discord said as they teleported over to a house not too far away from the town square. “So, I heard that you’re a big fan of my dear friend Fluttershy. Is that correct?” Meadow nodded in reply, too nervous to say anything. “It’s no surprise. Fluttershy is one of the heroes of harmony, after all, and she seems to be good friends with you already.” “Well, we do have things in common, such as our love for animals.” Meadow said nervously. Discord narrowed his eyes at him for a second before smiling. “Oh don’t be so nervous, lad. I can tell that you’re a trustworthy stallion and Fluttershy seems to like you already.” his expression became serious. “However, let me go ahead and warn you, and I’ll only say this once, so listen very closely.” he said in a low warning tone as he leaned in to whisper in Meadow’s ear. “If you do anything against Fluttershy, no matter how small it is, I won’t hesitate to use my magic on you. Fluttershy trusts you fully, so you’d better not betray her.” Meadow gulped as Discord pulled away, knowing without a doubt he was dead serious. “Y-you have my word, Discord. I won’t betray Fluttershy’s trust.” “Good.” The Draconequus nodded before brightening his expression with a smile. “Oh come on, Meadow. I know you’ll maintain Fluttershy’s trust, I just couldn’t resist scaring you a little.” The light brown Pegasus let out a nervous chuckle. “I see.” “Yes well, let us return to the party. Those groove things won’t groove themselves.” Discord snapped his fingers and teleported them back to the party as Pinkie bounced over to them. “There you both are! I was wondering where you went.” she said. “It’s time for you to make your appearance on stage, Meadow.” “W-what?” Meadow widened his eyes in surprise. “Me? On stage? In front of everyone here?” “Yup, but don’t worry, I’ll be right next to you.” “Well…if you say so.” “Great!” Pinkie grinned as she dragged him onto the stage and tapped the microphone on a free microphone stand, causing the music to stop and everyone to turn to the stage. “Good evening, everypony!” Pinkie said into the microphone. “Are you having the time of your lives?” The audience gave a round of applause and cheers in reply. “Great! All of you are wondering who the new resident of Ponyville is, and he’s standing right here right next to me. Citizens of Ponyville, let’s give a warm welcome to our new friend: Meadow Brook!” There was another wave of cheers from the crowd as Meadow shyly waved to the crowd. “And that’s not all, there’s another new pony visiting us right now and she’s standing next to Twilight. Let’s all give a round of applause to sunset Shimmer! Everyone turned to the yellow unicorn and applauded at her as she waved at them with a smile Meadow watched the small gesture before he felt a tap on his shoulder “Go on and make a speech.” Pinkie whispered in his ear as she moved the microphone in front of him. “What? What should I say?” he asked desperately, finding the situation to be very uncomfortable. “Just tell them about yourself and where you came from.” Meadow gulped as he cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. “G-good evening, everypony. As you already know, my name is Meadow Brook and I moved here to Ponyville from my old home back in Whinnyapolis and will now work at the animal clinic here. You all seem really nice and I can’t wait to make some friends in the future.” he took a pause. “A-and that is all. I hope you all enjoy the party.” Everyone gave a round of cheers once more as he backed away from the microphone, his heart was beating hard in his chest from just how nerve wracking that was. “Thanks for the speech, Meadow!” Pinkie said as she stepped back in front of the microphone. “Anyhow, let’s return to the party and have lots and lots of fun!” The music started back up and all the party guests returned to their conversations and/or game playing as Pinkie and Meadow stepped off the stage and returned to the group. “You see? That wasn’t so bad, right?” she asked him. “I suppose not.” he replied, still feeling a little shaken up. Meadow Brook sat on the side and took a sip of a cup of party punch as he let out a relaxed sigh. Despite this being a little more attention than what he expected, he was enjoying himself as well as spending time with Fluttershy and her friends. It felt good hanging out with one of Equestria’s most famous celebrities as well as speaking with them, including Fluttershy. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he was beginning to like her and her friends. “Meadow?” He looked to see the heroic yellow pegasus that he adored fluttering up to him with a smile. “Are you enjoying yourself?” “Oh yes. I don’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun.” Meadow replied as he looked over at the dance floor to see Discord and Pinkie having a dance off. “But why aren’t you with your friends? Aren’t you having fun as well?” “I am, Pinkie’s parties are always so much fun, I just find it to be much more comfortable to stand away from the loud music.” Fluttershy replied as she sat down next to him. “I do as well. I haven’t really been to a party like this in a long time, so it’s only natural that I’d feel a little nervous around a lot of guests.” “I understand.” Fluttershy nodded. “I felt the same way when I moved here.” “What was that like?” Fluttershy let out a nostalgic sigh. “I remember it so well. I was super shy when I met Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie, but they were really nice once I got to know them. They even built me my cottage as a welcoming present and I’ve been living here ever since.” She looked at him with curiosity. “What about you? Do you have any friends?” Meadow’s smile fell as he let out a sigh. “I don’t have any friends.” “Oh no, why not?” “I was really scared of the other kids my age and got teased for liking animals and being socially awkward. It made me feel like I was an outcast and I didn’t like it, I still don’t.” “Oh Meadow, I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Fluttershy said sympathetically. “If it makes you feel any better, I got teased too.” “You did?” Meadow asked with surprise, clearly not knowing this until now. “I was super shy when I was little and couldn’t fly correctly. When I was in the Cloudsdale Junior Speedster’s Flight Camp, the colts and fillies there would always make fun of me. Rainbow Dash was there and defended my honor countless times, but that didn’t stop the teasing.” Meadow looked at her with sympathy before smiling. “I guess we’re more alike than we thought, huh?” “I guess so.” Fluttershy nodded. “But after I met my friends, I was introduced to so many more opportunities that I never thought I could do before. I became less afraid and more brave, and I feel more good about myself than ever before.” “What about Discord? What was it like befriending him?” The yellow Pegasus let out a giggle. “That was one of the hardest days I’ve ever experienced.” She explained what happened that day when Princess Celestia tasked her to reformed the recently defeated spirit of chaos and disharmony as Meadow listened intently. “After Discord and I became friends, we began to have weekly tea parties at my cottage and became closer after each meeting.” she smiled over at Discord, who was currently drinking the entire lemonade bowl gulp by gulp. “He may not show it, but Discord’s really sweet once you get to know him.” “Wow, and I thought your heroism alone was impressive, but reforming Discord? You’re even more impressive than I thought, Fluttershy.” said Meadow as he smiled at her. “Oh, I’m not that impressive.” Fluttershy blushed slightly. “I’m just a regular pony like everyone else.” “That’s true, but how many mares do you see save Equestria several times and are friends with a former villain? Can’t get any cooler than that.” “Do…do you really think I’m cool?” “Fluttershy, you’re the coolest pony I’ve ever met next to Rainbow Dash.” Meadow said honestly. “And I would be honored to be friends with you, especially your friends.” She smiled back at him. “I’d like that.” They continued to sit with each other and gaze at the party as Meadow scooted closer to her and smiled at her. Fluttershy smiled back at him as they smiled at each other for a moment before looking back at the party. What neither of them knew was that they were being watched from afar. Discord stood next to the snack table and looked over at them with narrowed eyes. He noticed how close they were together and he didn’t like one bit. A low growl rumbled within his throat as he gulped down his lemonade whole and ate his cup. He had to get them to stop, for Fluttershy’s sake anyway. He teleported in front of them, startling them in the process as he grinned at them like he would normally smile. “Hello, my little ponies. Enjoying the party?” “We are.” Fluttershy replied. “What about you?” “I find Pinkie’s party better than any kind of celebration I would throw.” he looked at Meadow and maintained a smile on his lips. “What about you, m’boy? Finding the fun bash enjoyable?” “Oh yes, I feel right at home already.” the light brown Pegasus replied. He turned to smile at Fluttershy as she smiled back, both seeming to forget who was standing right before them. Discord felt his eyebrows tremble with the urge to narrow together as he teleported between the two Pegasi and sat down. “Sorry if I’m intruding, but I wanted to spend time with my favorite pony.” He grinned at Fluttershy as she looked up at him for a moment before smiling. “I’d like that.” she said. “I should go ahead and leave you both alone.” Meadow said as he stood up. “Meadow, wait. You don’t have to leave just to leave me and Discord to ourselves.” Fluttershy protested. “Please, stay with us.” “Fluttershy’s right. Sit back down and relax.” Discord added in agreement, even though he wanted the light brown Pegasus to leave very badly. “It’s okay, I need to get home and get some shut-eye anyway. I hope I’ll see you tomorrow for the play.” “I wouldn’t miss it.” Meadow Brook turned and went to say goodnight to the rest of her friends as Discord looked down at his one and only friend with a raised eyebrow in curiosity. “Play? What play?” “Oh, I nearly forgot. The schoolhouse is having a play tomorrow evening and me and my friends are going to go and see it.” “Sounds fun.” Discord commented as he watched Meadow Brook walk away from the MANE 6 and towards the outskirts. The Draconequus narrowed his eyes at Meadow for a second before a light bulb flashed above his head before flashing away. “I’ll go with you.” Discord said suddenly. “What?” Fluttershy looked at him in slight surprise. “I’ll go to that play with you. I have been meaning to see something entertaining for a while.” “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to bore yourself for a few hours with me.” Discord chuckled as he patted his Pegasus friend on the head. “Fluttershy, nothing we do together bores me. Besides, maybe a play run by a bunch of foals might be delightfully hilarious.” “Well…If you’re sure.” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “I won’t stop you.” she smiled up at him. “Splendid!” the Draconequus grinned as he summoned a glass of punch and sipped the red liquid. His ears perked up when he heard a soft yawn beside him as he turned and looked down to see the yellow Pegasus rubbing her eyes. “Oh dear, all the work at the animal sanctuary must’ve taken more of my energy than I thought.” she said. “Meadow helped me earlier today to make the work a little easier, but it was still a lot, and I feel a little exhausted.” “Say no more, my dear.” Discord smiled at her. “Allow me to take you home.” “No thank you, I’m okay.” Fluttershy declined politely. “I can party a little while longer.” “Are you sure? You seem like you’re running low on power.” A battery with a power meter materialized in front of her as it signaled low energy within her before disappearing. “I appreciate it, but I’m fine.” Fluttershy smiled at the Lord of Chaos. “Let’s get back to the party.” Discord looked at her for a moment before shrugging in defeat. “As you wish.” He teleported them back to the party as they continued to enjoy themselves immensely. They played some of the provided games, chatted with Fluttershy’s friends, and danced on the dance floor together. As they sat at one of the tables, Fluttershy felt her eyelids droop as she let out a yawn, causing Discord to chuckle. “Looks like now’s a better time to turn in.” “Oh, n-no, I’m fine.” the pink-haired Pegasus protested as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m just a little…” a yawn escaped her mouth before she could stop it. “There’s no use hiding it, is there?” “Not one bit.” “Can I say goodnight to my friends first?” Before Discord could reply, another yawn escaped her mouth as he stood up and scooped her up into his arms. “While I would never object to letting you do what you want, I feel now is a better time than ever to take you home and tuck you in your bed.” “You don’t have to do that, Discord.” Fluttershy smiled tiredly at him. She didn’t want to burden him out of her own tiredness, but the feelings of his fur against her seemed to lully her into relaxation as she let out another yawn. The Draconequus smiled down at her and teleported them into her bedroom back at her cottage as he pulled back the covers and laid her down gently. He placed his eagle claw against her cheek and lightly scratched it as she closed her eyes with a moan and leaned into the feeling with a smile. He felt tempted to kiss her on the forehead like a father kissing his daughter goodnight, but shook off the appalling thought. For a soul as kind as Fluttershy’s would never allow such a thing. Discord heard soft snoring as he looked to see the butter yellow Pegasus mare had fallen asleep. Resisting the urge to chuckle softly, he slowly pulled his claw away and pulled the covers over her small body. Fluttershy turned to her left side and nuzzled into her pillow with a small sigh. “Sleep well, my dear.” Discord whispered in her ear as he soundlessly disappeared back to the party, leaving the yellow Pegasus to her beauty sleep. To be continued… Author's Note Sorry for the long wait and shorter chapter, hope you enjoyed it and see you in chapter 4! 😀 Let me know if I made any errors!
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 4Discord poofed into his bedroom back in his castle as he let out a yawn and stretched his arms. He had spent another 4 hours at the welcoming party in Ponyville town square, playing games and pranking some of the other ponies. The party ended at around midnight and the Draconequus was more than willing to return to his chaotic mansion to get a good night's rest as well as sleep the next morning away. He teleported into his bedroom bathroom and snapped up some warm bubbly water in the bathtub as he slithered into the water and poked his head out before resting it on the other end and letting out a relaxed sigh. It was a shame that Fluttershy grew tired and he had to take her back home and tuck her into her bed, not like he had a problem with that anyway, but he really wanted to spend the entire evening and play more games with her. It was good that Meadow Brook left when he did. Discord’s smile fell as he thought about the light brown Pegasus stallion. He didn’t really like him, mainly because Meadow seemed to be close to Fluttershy already and gained her trust super easily without any struggles. If both Pegasus kept seeing each other more and more often, they would grow closer and closer. They might even develop feelings for each other and spend the rest of their lives together. Discord huffed out a scoff through his nose. There was no way that Fluttershy would ever want to have feelings for a stallion like Meadow Brook, now when there were other stallions out there. You know what they say; there are plenty of fish in the sea. The very thought of Fluttershy dating another stallion didn't sit well in his mind. Discord let out a sigh. It was clear that the party had taken a toll on his mental state and needed to get to bed as soon as possible. After scrubbing himself clean, he got out of the tub and shook the water off his body like a dog before draining the water and rubbing a large towel to dry his fur. He teleported underneath the covers on his bed and rested his head on the pillows as he closed his eyes, determined to rid himself of the jealous thoughts that filled his mind. Discord found himself sitting on the ground on a picnic blanket as he heard soft and sweet laughter from his left. He turned to see none other than his best friend Fluttershy giggling at a group of singing Ginseng floating in front of her singing a silly yet pleasing tune. “Oh Discord, the Ginseng are so funny.” she said. “Why thank you,” the Draconequus smiled with pride. “There’s nothing better than hearing your lovely laugh.” She turned away to hide her pink cheeks as Discord reached down and lightly ran his eagle claw over her back, causing her to turn and look up at him. “Sorry,” he pulled away with guilt. “I just thought that you’d like it.” “I didn’t say you had to stop.” Fluttershy smiled at him. “It felt really nice to have your hand stroke my back like that.” “Really?” “Mmm-hmm.” she leaned against his side. “So go ahead. Keep stroking me, I won’t mind.” Discord reluctantly placed his eagle claw back on her back and lightly stroked it as she closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure, causing a smile of his own to form on his lips. He wished this moment with her would never end. “Fluttershy!” Both of them turned to see Meadow Brook rushing towards them as he skidded to a stop in front of them. “Meadow!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she looked at him in concern. “What’s wrong?” “It’s Angel, he’s hurt.” Meadow replied. “I caught him trying to steal some carrots for his lunch in the supply shed, but as he jumped for the shelf, he misjudged his trajectory and broke his leg.” She gasped. “Oh no. Angel!” she turned back to her Draconequus companion. “Discord, I’m sorry to cut our picnic so short, but Angel needs me. I hope you’re not too upset.” Despite feeling disappointed, he successfully managed a smile upon his expression. “Not at all, my dear.” he lied. “Don’t let me get in the way of you doing what needs to be done.” She smiled at him. “Thank you. I hope we can have another picnic another time.” “Of course. Some other time.” The two pegasai rushed off as Discord’s smile fell. He felt a pang of sadness as he watched them rush off into the distance, now missing Fluttershy’s presence as if she’d been away on a week-long mission. Suddenly, thick white fog blew in from out of nowhere as Discord looked around in confusion. ‘Where did this fog come from?’ he thought to himself as he stood up and flew off in the direction Fluttershy went, feeling as if she was in danger. “Fluttershy?” he called out into the thickness. “Fluttershy!” No response came back to him and he couldn’t hear any galloping. Worry filled his mind as he attempted to teleport into the location where Fluttershy would likely be, but to find not a single trace of her. “Fluttershy! Where are you?” Discord yelled out into the air. “Come on, my dear, this isn’t a funny prank.” What if Meadow Brook got her in danger and didn’t save her? The very thought sent a rocket of anger and fear through him as he yelled out with all his strength. “Fluttershy!” he shouted to the heavens. “FLUTTERSHY!!!” Discord bolted up with a gasp and opened his eyes as he panted deeply, finding himself back in his bedroom. He glanced over at his alarm clock, to which he begrudgingly replaced last night, which said that it was only a few minutes past three in the morning. Relief washed over him. It was only a dream, plain and simple, which meant that Fluttershy was safely in her cottage fast asleep. Discord should’ve felt even more relief, but the images from his dream were still fresh in his mind. His mind began to fill with images of Meadow Brook luring her away from him and purposefully getting her into danger, causing a new wave of fear, worry, and anger to well up within the Draconequus. He let out an annoyed huff as he laid back down and pulled the covers over his body. He could see that Meadow wasn’t ever going to do anything against Fluttershy, yet the possibility of him doing that behind his and her friends’ backs still felt unsetting. One thing was for sure; he didn’t at all like Meadow Brook nor trust him, and that’s how things were gonna stay. By daylight late the next morning, Discord awoke with a moan as he opened his eyes halfway and glanced at his clock, which thankfully didn’t go off. 12:47 pm He successfully managed to sleep in, yet still felt tired and dreary as he sat up and stretched his arms with a yawn. He teleported into his bathroom and brushed his teeth (which would surely impress Fluttershy) before teleporting into the kitchen and snapping up a bowl that contained yesterday's newspaper. Discord normally didn’t eat paper, but only did it to creep ponies out as well as mess with them, but now he was in the mood for something that wasn’t food, and the Foal-Free Press was on his menu. As he ate his meal, his thoughts drifted off to the dreams he had after waking up in the middle of the night. They were about when he was freely relaxing on a cotton candy cloud high above Ponyville when he spotted Fluttershy and Meadow Brook taking a stroll together, seemingly oblivious to the Lord of Chaos’s presence. He had made himself invisible and soundlessly teleported down to them as he watched the two pegasai conversating together with smiles on their faces, which irked him with disgust. He wanted to interrupt them, but chose not to in hopes to not be accused of spying. Discord let out a sigh as he realized how ridiculous he was acting. It was the Tree Hugger incident all over again. He had learned his lesson that time, especially after Fluttershy yelled at him. It was okay for her to have more than one friend, and he didn’t have to get upset over it. ‘But what if Meadow gets too close to her and they fall in love?’ an unsettling thought whispered in his mind. Discord shook his head and scooped another mouthful of paper into his mouth. He shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts when he should be eating his breakfast. Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure Meadow wasn’t with Fluttershy, just to be safe. Gulping down the rest of his paper salad, Discord teleported to Fluttershy’s cottage and looked around for her, only to find the house empty. He then teleported to Sweet Feather Sanctuary and smiled once he found the yellow Pegasus sitting in an open area, only to frown to see who was with her. It was him. Meadow Brook sat next to her as they conversed together, clearly taking a break from what Discord could tell from his point of view. Nevertheless, he needed to step in and put an abrupt halt on this. He slithered through the grass and stopped behind Fluttershy as Meadow turned to look at him and jumped in surprise. “Meadow, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked with concern. “Is there someone behind me?” “Yes.” a familiar voice spoke up from behind her as she turned around and jumped with a yelp, surprised to see none other than the spirit of chaos and disharmony standing directly behind her. “Why hello, Fluttershy!” Discord said cheerfully as he scooped her up into a hug not once glancing at Meadow,. “It’s so good to see my most favorite pony and best friend in the entire universe!” “Discord…I’m glad to…see you too,” Fluttershy gasped, wincing from how tight he was hugging her. “Can you please…put me down?” “Oh alright.” Discord placed her down as moved himself between her and Meadow Brook and sat down. “So, Fluttershy. What have you been up to so far today?” “Not much. Just tasks across the animal sanctuary.” she replied. “Meadow’s been helping out again with some of the harder tasks.” “Oh really?” the Draconequus turned to the light brown pegasus with a raised eyebrow. “And just what have you been doing, M’boy?” “Oh.” Meadow smiled, eager to show his happiness at working with the animals. “I helped Fluttershy feed the bunnies, gave a black cat a vaccine, gave a couple of the ferrets their baths, and I even gave Harry the bear a massage.” Discord was impressed, much to his surprise. He thought Meadow would’ve been struggling a little bit, but found that he was doing fine without struggle. “What about you, Discord?” Fluttershy got his attention as he looked down at her. “What have you been up to?” “Same response as you, my dear. I just had breakfast and decided to come and check up on you.” “Why? Is there something wrong?” “What? No, no, not at all!” Discord replied, noticing the concern etched onto her face. “I just…wanted to tell you that I’m going to purchase a ticket for the play tonight!” he quickly added, hoping to ease her worries. It seemed to do the trick as she smiled at him. “That’s wonderful.” “I know.” he turned to look at Meadow Brook. “And I’ll even take you with me.” “W-what?” the light brown Pegasus stammered in surprise with widened eyes. “I’m going to take you and buy you a ticket while I buy one of my own.” Discord simplified. “And if we go right now we can beat the line at the ticket booth.” “Now? Are you sure we’ve got enough time to get tickets and get back in time for me to continue with my tasks?” “But of course. Besides, I can easily stop time and you won’t miss even a quadrillionth of a second.” the Draconequus turned to the yellow Pegasus on his other side. “Would it be alright if I stole Meadow from you for a few minutes, Fluttershy? We’ll be back faster than you can say ‘Draconequus’ a million times fast.” Fluttershy put her hoof to her chin in thought before smiling at him. “I don’t see why not, so long as Meadow returns immediately after getting hiss ticket.” “Splendid!” Discord cheered as he scooped Meadow into his lion arm and teleported them in front of the Ponyville schoolhouse before placing the light brown Pegasus back on his hooves. “Now, if I were a ticket booth, where would I be?” “Um, over there?” Meadow pointed to a small wooden stand along the path that led from Ponyville up to the schoolhouse. “Oh, right.” Discord muttered as he teleported them both in front of the stand and dinged the bell on the desktop. When nopony heard it and ran up to the desk, he dinged the bell again, only to wind up with the same results. Discord sighed with annoyance as he folded his arms and thumped his lizard foot impatiently. “We don’t have all day.” “Maybe the teacher of this school runs the ticket booth.” Meadow suggested. “He or she’s probably occupied with teaching the students.” “Perhaps.” Suddenly, the sound of the school bell ringing could be heard as the boys looked to see the students of the schoolhouse exiting and rushing over to the playground. “Play nicely together!” a female voice called from inside the building as the school teacher, Miss Cheerilee, stepped out and noticed two figures standing in front of the ticket booth, one being the new pony she saw at Pinkie’s party last night and Discord. Surprise and curiosity got the better of her as she trotted down to the ticket stand and smiled at the two potential ticket purchasers. “Hi there. Are you interested in seeing tonight's school play in Town Hall?” she said casually, hiding her surprise at seeing the Lord of Chaos at the ticket stand. “Um…y-yes we are.” Meadow replied shyly. “How much are they?” “Tickets are five bits each.” Cheerilee replied as a pile of ten bits materialized on the table top, surprising her. “I’m paying for our tickets.” Discord said with a casual smile. “No harm in that, right?” “Well, not that I know of. I just never thought you’d be interested in seeing a play, Discord.” The dark purple earth pony mare finally voiced her surprise. “I know, but I’m curious about whatever amusing thing might happen.” he held out his eagle claw. “So how about those tickets?” Cheerilee looked at him for a moment before shrugging and placing the money inside a bag as she placed the tickets on the table top. “There you go.” “Thank you.” Meadow smiled gratefully at her as he and Discord took their tickets. “You’re welcome.” Cheerilee smiled back as she went back inside the schoolhouse. “See you boys tonight.” “We’ll be there!” Discord called after her as he teleported himself and Meadow Brook back to Sweet Feather Sanctuary, finding Fluttershy in the exact same spot she was sitting. “So how did it go?” she asked. Discord held out his lion paw and showed the bronze ticket. “I’ll be seeing you tonight, my dear.” “I got my ticket as well.” Meadow said as he held out his left wing, showing his own ticket. “Oh, that’s so wonderful.” Fluttershy smiled. “I can’t wait until tonight.” “Me neither.” said Discord as he teleported his ticket back to his home. “Now, I hate to cut this meeting short, but I must return home. I hope I didn’t offend you, Fluttershy.” “It’s okay, Discord.” she smiled at him as she flew up and embraced him. “I’ll see you tonight.” “Ta-ta for now, my sweet.” he murmured in her ear before placing her down as he teleported back to his castle. Upon returning, he began to think about the situation he just found himself in. He bought a ticket to a school play, not just to see the amusing young actors, but to keep an eye on Meadow Brook. Discord still didn’t trust the light brown Pegasus and felt as if his instincts were kicking in, telling him that the stallion was probably someone else with a different motive. What was Meadow up to, and what did he want with Fluttershy? Discovering that worrying over something extremely unlikely, the Draconequus teleported into a large room filled to the brim with electric massaging chairs and sat down, feeling the electric massagers pressing into his leg, tail, and arm muscles, letting out a relaxed sigh. “That’s better.” Discord mumbled, deciding to now spend the rest of the afternoon up until the show to relax in this exact chair. Whatever suspicions or doubts he had about Meadow Brook melted away as he closed his eyes and let out a cat-like purr. Spike stepped into Carousel Boutique as he closed the door behind him and went upstairs, knocking on the door to Rarity’s room. “Come in!” the prim and proper unicorn mare called from the other side. He opened the door and entered her bedroom/workshop as he looked to see her sitting at her work desk with a frustrated expression. “Uh Rarity? Are you alright?” he asked with concern as he cautiously approached her. She turned to look at him and managed a small smile. “Hello, Spike. To be honest, I’m in a spot of bother.” “What’s wrong?” he asked as he came up to her side. “You do know that tonight is Sweetie Belle and her classmate’s play, right?” The purple dragon nodded in response, choosing to wait until she finished to say anything. “Well, I’m struggling in making masks for the Cutie Mark Crusaders superhero costumes. I need red, orange, yellow, purple, and pink fabric. The only problem is that I don’t have any and I’ve looked all over my home.” “Do you want me to go and get some more for you?” Spike asked. “I appreciate it, darling, but I feel as if there’s still some more fabric here in the boutique that I overlooked.” “I’d be happy to go and look for it for you.” Rarity smiled at him. “I would be most grateful if you did.” “I’ll be right back.” he said boldly as he marched out of the room and went up to the supply closet in the hallway. He opened the double doors and searched throughout the many towels, bedsheets, and other items for any form of clothing fabric, but found none. He closed the door and went down the upstairs hall until he came across a pair of stairs that led up, much to his surprise. He never saw them before, but felt as if they would help him. Spike went up the stairs until he came across a door that probably led to the attic. He tried to twist the doorknob, but found that the door was locked. ‘I won’t fail her.’ he thought determinedly as he looked down at the mat in front of the door and lifted it up, finding a small wooden door beneath it. He lifted it up and was glad to find a key safely stored away inside of the small crevice as he pulled it out and closed the small wooden door. He placed the mat back on the ground and placed the key inside the key hole as he twisted it, causing the door to unlock. With a silent cheer to himself, Spike opened the door and stepped into the attic of Carousel Boutique. It had many cobwebs and boxes stored about and a couple of skylights in the roof illuminating the attic. Spike trekked across the wooden floor and spotted something that seemed to stand out from everything else. He went up to a wooden chest over in a corner and opened it, immediately being welcomed by a large cloud of dust. He turned away and coughed as he waved away the dust before turning and looking inside the chest, eyes widening slightly in surprise before smiling with triumph. Many rolls of fabric that were different colors resided inside the chest. On top of them was an old and moldy piece of paper that caught Spike’s curiosity as he picked it up and read it aloud. “To our wonderful daughter, Rarity. From your loving parents.” He lowered the note and looked back inside the chest. ‘Did Rarity’s parents leave these for her?’ It was a possible and apparently obvious act of generosity. Nevertheless, he picked up the chest and hauled it out the attic as he used his tail and closed the door before slowly going down the stairs. He went back to Rarity’s room and opened the door using his tail. “Where did you get that?” Rarity asked in surprise and curiosity. “I found this up in the attic.” Spike replied as he went up to her and placed the chest down on the ground next to the work desk. “And that’s not even the best part.” He opened the lid as Rarity looked inside and gasped in surprise. “I had no idea these were ever here.” she uttered in disbelief. “That’s because of this.” Spike said as he pulled out the note and handed it to her. She lit up her horn and levitated it in front of her as she read it aloud. “To our wonderful daughter, Rarity. From your loving parents.” She levitated the note onto her work desk as she began to process what she just discovered. Her parents had left her this chest full of fabric some time ago in the attic as a surprise gift. This wasn't at all bad. In fact, it was far from it. A grin spread across her features as she squealed in happiness. “Oh this is wonderful! Now I can finish the costumes!” “Um, y-yeah.” Spike nodded in agreement, feeling his heart skip a beat slightly at her happiness. “I’ll have the superhero masks done in no time!” Rarity said with bold determination as she immediately began sewing. Spike took the opportunity to sit on the bed as he let out a sigh. Lifting the chest was slightly hard, but found that pleasing the Element of Generosity to be worth it. “Done!” He looked up in surprise. “Wow, that was fast.” “It certainly was.” Rarity said with pride as the purple dragon came up to her desk and looked at her newly created masks. The first mask was orange with purple wings at both edges, the second one was sparkly with pink surrounded by purple that curved up at the two sides, and the third mask was red surrounded by yellow with lightning bolts on it. “Wow, these are really cool.” Spike said as Rarity smiled with pride. “Indeed they are.” she said. “Sweetie Belle provided me with the ideas for her and her classmate’s costumes, and I naturally made them with no struggle at all.” “Cool.” Spike smiled at her. “Do you want me to take the masks to the stage?” “Actually, I feel it’s best if we both go.” Rarity said as she stood up from her stool and pushed it underneath her work desk. “I have been meaning to check up on the costumes for a while.” “Well then, shall we?” he bowed and held out his claw She giggled at him and stood up as they exited her room and went out before stepping out of Carousel Boutique. “So where’s the stage?” Spike asked. “I don’t remember seeing it at the schoolhouse.” “That’s because it’s in Town Hall due to the rainstorm that’s supposed to come by later tonight.” Rarity explained. “Now to mention it was cheaper and more comfortable.” “I can certainly understand that.” They made their way into town square and entered town hall as Spike looked over at the stage on the far side of the foyer. “Wow, I nearly forgot that stage still existed.” Spike said as he and the white unicorn mare next to him went up the small steps and behind the curtains, which were installed a few weeks ago. Once they reached backstage, Rarity lit up her horn and turned on the light as Spike looked at the background and props with amazement. The background wall was black with many white dots that resembled stars as well as several larger circles that looked like planets; Some of them had rings and even a few moons. There were also comets, asteroids, and even a small nebula in the center. A props bin to his right caught his attention as he went over and looked inside it, revealing fake lazer guns, a fake control panel, and even a red wagon next to the props bin with rocket ship cardboard on both sides of it. Spike whistles in amazement. “This play’s gonna be amazing.” “It most certainly is!” Rarity called from the costume closet over on the side of the stage as the purple dragon went over and peaked his head in. “I’m all done!” the white unicorn turned and smiled at him as she trotted out of the room and closed the door. “And now that’s all done, what would you like to do for the rest of the day, darling?” “You want to spend the rest of the day with me?” Spike asked before quickly adding, “N-not that I don’t want to! I always want to spend time with you.” She looked at him for a moment with slight surprise before smiling sweetly at him. “Do you really mean that?” He realized his mistake as his face flushed a shade of red. “Um, w-well I uh…yes? You are one of a kind, you know.” “How sweet of you, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity embraced him before pulling away. “I’ll ask again; what would you like to do until the show?” “Well…” he thought for a moment before an idea hit him. “Maybe we can go to the spa?” he asked hopefully. “And if not, maybe we can chill at your place and eat ice cream together?” “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” she smiled at him once again before frowning. “However, when me and Fluttershy went to the spa a few days ago, we were told that they were closed for repairs and won’t be reopening until another two weeks.” Spike felt disappointed but didn’t show it. “Then ice cream it is.” “Agreed.” They both left the stage and left town hall as they went back to Carousel Boutique. “Spike?” He looked over at Rarity with curiosity. “Yes?” “Thank you, for everything.” she smiled gratefully at him. “Any time.” Spike smiled back as they continued onward together, not knowing that they were holding hooves/claws. Discord laid down on a tree branch not too far away from where Fluttershy and Meadow Brook sat together as he glared at the two pegasai. Instead of going home, he’d been watching them for the past two and a half hours in secret with nothing but bitter thoughts. ‘Why is Fluttershy giving Meadow so much attention? They’ve only known each other for less than 48 hours.’ the Draconequus thought. ‘I can’t believe that fanboy is so close to her already!’ A small poof came from his left as he turned to see a red miniature version of himself with a devil’s tail and pitchfork at his eye level. “I can read your thoughts, you know.” he said with a casual smile. “I know that you don’t like that guy.” Discord rolled his eyes. “Of course I don’t like him. Isn’t it obvious?” “Well duh, but why not? He sure is handsome for a stallion, and Fluttershy sure does like him already.” That caused him to tense up with a slight eye twitch before glaring at his bad conscience. “What?” “You know Meadow Brook is Fluttershy’s type. He looks like he exercises regularly, gets enough sleep, spends maybe enough time with his family, the list goes on.” “Are you saying that he could potentially be her special somepony?” Discord accused. “Because let me be the first to say this; you’re right.” he sighed. “Oh relax, Discord. I didn’t come here to make you even more of a tomato headed,” the devil Discord chided as he formed a devilish grin across his face. “I came to help you.” “Help me? How?” “Simple plan. Make that Meadow guy a fool in any way possible, and that’ll make Fluttershy dislike him for sure.” Discord had to admit, that was an extremely smart and cunning plan. A mischievous smile of his own formed on his lips as he looked over at Meadow Brook with an evil smile. “Ohohoho, I like the sound of that.” “Great! But be careful Fluttershy doesn’t see you doing this to Meadow, otherwise she’ll get really upset and might even cancel next week’s Tuesday Tea.” The Draconequus nodded in agreement, shivering at the thought of both possibilities happening. He made himself invisible as his bad conscience did the same thing. “So how are we going to do this?” Discord whispered. “While I naturally come up with brilliant ideas, I’ll need you for assistance in this.” “I’d be honored.” the Discord shoulder devil smirked with pride. “Now, the key to making somepony who’s perfect imperfect, you need to do something that’ll make them look bad.” he grinned evilly. “Like doing something that’ll annoy your victim so much, they’ll lose their temper and no one will like him.” “Oh, that is brilliant!” Discord cheered before clamping his mouth shut and looking over at Fluttershy, who thankfully didn’t hear him as he let out a soft sigh of relief. “How about I make a bunch of instruments interrupt him whenever he tries to talk?” “Convincing, but too random. Fluttershy will immediately suspect it’s you.” said the Draconequus devil. “Right. What if we made ‘Angel’ mad at Meadow for something?” “Like what? Even if we did do something like that, he would easily forgive that Pegasus fanboy. Besides, Devil Bunny seems to like him already.” Both Draconequui looked over at Angel as he hopped up to Meadow and nuzzled into his right foreleg. “Fine, what if we sent a swarm of bees at him?” “Too painful.” “Frame him for a robbery?” “Too cliche. Meadow can easily be proven otherwise.” “Dump an entire barrel of mud over him.” “Too smelly.” “Make him a potty mouth.” “Too inappropriate.” “Dunk him in the pond?” “Not good enough, plus it sounds like a good opportunity for him to be even more attractive. I mean, imagine Fluttershy emerging from water with her mane and tail all wet.” Discord turned to his shoulder devil with a blunt look. Even though they were both invisible, they could still see each other. “Are you going to keep rejecting my ideas?” “As a matter of fact, I have.” the bad conscience Draconequus replied. “Then why did you make me come up with all those dumb ideas?” “What? I had to see what you thought would be good enough to work.” Discord glared at him as he grabbed him around the torso and squeezed him tightly. “Tell me your stupid idea right now or I’ll throw you into a volcano.” “Alright alright, fine! Just let me go!” his shoulder devil said as he felt his body being released from the strong grip. “Anyway, all you have to do is make a Manticore attack Meadow.” “A Manticore?” the Lord of Chaos raised an eyebrow. “Won’t it attack Fluttershy as well?” “Well yeah, but not if you create your own Manticore and make it attack Meadow and only him.” This seemed interesting. “I’m listening.” “Once the Manticore attacks Meadow, he’ll be so cowardly that he won’t be able to save himself nor Fluttershy. And if the Manticore attacks her too, swoop in and save her.” “And that’ll make me look good and not him.” Discord concluded as he grinned mischievously. “Oh hallelujah that’s a magnificent idea!” He snapped his fingers as a Manticore materialized beneath the tree branch the Draconequus was lounging on. “Don’t forget to put a thorn in its paw for further measure.” the shoulder devil whispered as Discord snapped his fingers once again. A sharp pain emitted from the Manticore’s front right paw as he roared in pain. “Brilliant!” The Discord devil cheered, being careful to maintain a low volume as he high-fived the larger Draconequus and teleported with him to a nearby tree, making themselves visible. “Now to wait.” Discord whispered as they hid behind the tree with excited grins. Back with the two pegasai, Fluttershy smiled down at her pet bunny as Meadow Brook continued to stroke him in the spot he knew the lagomorph would like best. “Aww, Angel really likes you, Meadow.” she gushed. “He sure does.” Meadow nodded. Suddenly, a loud roar shook the entire animal sanctuary as Angel dashed off in fear. Both pegasai leapt to their hooves as they looked around for the source. “W-w-w-what was that?” Fluttershy stammered in fear. “It sounded like a Manticore.” Meadow answered as true to his word, an angry manticore leapt out of the bushes behind them and roared at them. “Stay behind me, Fluttershy. I’ll handle this!” The light brown Pegasus went up to the Manticore and smiled at him, much to Fluttershy’s surprise and worry. Back with Discord, he and his shoulder devil were snickering to themselves. “Oh I can’t wait to see what a coward Meadow is and save Fluttershy.” the Lord of Chaos whispered. “I couldn’t agree more.” his bad conscience whispered back with a grin as he peaked around the tree and gaped with disbelief. “What?” Discord raised an eyebrow. His shoulder devil turned to look at him with a grim look. “You’re not gonna like what I just saw.” “What’s wrong? Is Fluttershy severely injured?” worry filled the Draconequus at the very thought. “No. Something that won’t make you happy.” “Like what?” His shoulder indicated for him to look where he was pointing as Discord did so with curiosity. What he saw next left him gaping with disbelief. Meadow Brook was taming the Manticore, and In front of Fluttershy no less! “It’s okay big guy, I won’t hurt you.” he spoke in a soft and gentle tone. The Manticore gave him a confused look as Meadow noticed his front right paw was raised upward. “Can I see your paw please? The one that’s raised?” He stared at him for a moment before reluctantly showing his paw, revealing two sharp thorns stuck inside his palm. “Aw, you poor thing.” Meadow said with sympathy. “That must really hurt, doesn’t it?” The Manticore nodded his head with a sad expression as he held out his injured paw. “Alright, I’m gonna pull out the thorns from your paw. It’ll only hurt for just a second, but it’ll be over before you know it. Are you ready?” The Manticore nodded as he turned away and closed his eyes tightly. Back behind the tree, Discord and his shoulder devil waited in anticipation, hoping the Manticore would lash out and attack. Instead, it winced with a yelp as the thorns got pulled out of his paw. “There. All done.” Meadow smiled at him. “How do you feel?” The Manticore opened his eyes and looked at his paw, noticing that there were no longer any thorns in it. He gently patted it on the ground and noticed that it no longer hurt as he brightened with a smile and pulled in Meadow Brook for a tight hug. “You’re welcome.” Meadow smiled as he hugged the Manticore back before pulling away. “Now take care of yourself, and remember to watch where you walk.” The Manticore nodded at him as he turned and ventured back into the Everfree Forest. Meadow turned back to Fluttershy with concern, only to find her gaping at him in amazement. “Uh, Fluttershy? Are you alright?” he asked as he went up to her and waved his hoof in front of her eyes. She shook out of her trance as she grinned at him. “That was amazing!” “Oh, i-it was nothing.” Meadow looked away and rubbed his foreleg. “No it wasn’t, it was super impressive. I never saw anyone else tame a Manticore just like me. How did you do that?” “Sneaking off into the forest at my childhood home helped me become brave. Plus, this isn’t the only time I’ve tamed a chimerical creature.” “Really? How many have you tamed?” Fluttershy asked with heightened interest. “Um…three?” Meadow reluctantly replied as honestly as he could, worried that she’d think that was a lie. He thought wrong as she beamed at him. “Oh Meadow, I don’t know if I ever knew anyone more talented than you! Thank you, thank you so much for saving me.” Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around his neck as he paused for a moment and hugged her back. “You’re welcome.” he murmured, taking the moment to enjoy her embrace around him. Back behind the tree, Discord was fuming with anger as he glared at them. “I can’t believe your plan failed.” he snapped at his shoulder devil. “I know! How was I supposed to know that Meadow Brook guy was secretly a heroic knight and an expert with monsters?” Discord’s bad conscience said in agreement. “And now look at him, Fluttershy’s hugging him like she hugs you.” Discord looked back at the hugging pegasai with a glare of rage as a low lion-like snarl emitted from his throat, not noticing that his normally red eyes turned from an eerie shade of green to a dark shade of purple before returning to their natural color. “Uh Discord? Are you alright?” his shoulder devil cautiously asked, noticing the change in color of his eyes. “NO! I'M NOT ALRIGHT!” Discord roared before quickly teleporting away with his bad conscience, causing the two pegasai to break their embrace with a jump before turning to where the loud voice came from. “What was that?” Meadow asked. “I don’t know.” Fluttershy replied. “Whoever it was, he sounded really angry.” “Maybe we should continue with the tasks. We have been sitting here longer than planned.” “You’re right.” And with that, they went off into the animal sanctuary together. Back at Discord’s castle, the Lord of Chaos was currently glaring down at his bad conscience, who was looking down with guilt similar to a child being caught doing something bad. Neither of them moved a muscle, not made an attempt to say anything. Finally, after many more moments, Discord took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea how much of a failure your idea was?” “Um…” his bad side attempted to speak. “Maybe a little, but-” “And do you know how much of a problem Meadow turned out to be?” “Yes. but-” “I don’t want to hear it.” Discord sharply cut him off. “Not only was this plan a bust, but Fluttershy said to him that she never knew anyone more talented than him.” he narrowed his eyes. “She said that to me! I can’t believe she said that to him!” “I’m sure she didn’t mean it!” his shoulder devil protested defensively as he raised his hands. “Maybe Fluttershy just said it to make Meadow feel good about himself.” “Either way, I won’t stand for this.” The red miniature version of the Draconequus felt a shudder run down his spine from the low dangerous tone. “Um, what are you gonna do?” Discord glared at him. “I’m going to make sure Meadow Brook doesn’t come within an inch of Fluttershy, but why am I even telling you this? It’s none of your business.” he snapped his fingers as a black hole materialized directly beneath his bad conscience. The shoulder devil Draconequus got sucked into the portal with a scream as it disappeared from existence. Once his shoulder devil was gone, Discord let out an annoyed sigh and laid down on his bed. While his plan at making Meadow failed, he wouldn’t give up the fight for Fluttershy’s attention and phrase without a much more difficult challenge. Now craving for a drink, he sat up and his fingers as a chocolate milkshake materialized in front of him with a slight flicker, causing him to look at it with confusion. ‘Odd, nothing I ever made flickered before.’ he thought before shrugging. ‘Perhaps all that anger took a toll on my magic.’ The door to Carousel Boutique opened as Spike and Rarity stepped out and shared a hug. “Thanks again for the help, Spike.” she smiled at him as they broke the embrace. “You have no idea how happy I am for your assistance.” “You’re welcome, Rarity.” Spike smiled back. “I’ll see you and the girls tonight for the show.” “Agreed.” Rarity nodded as she surprised him with a peck on the cheek. “See you tonight, darling.” she went back inside her home and closed the door as Spike stood there with a stunned expression. ‘She kissed me.’ he thought. For a moment he just stood there with his claw on the cheek the white unicorn kissed. ‘She kissed me.’ A smile broke free from the restraint he put on his mouth. “Rarity kissed me!” he jumped into the air with a fist pump. It wasn’t the first time she did so, but it still felt good. He skipped back to the Castle of Friendship while humming a tune as some of the Ponyville residents gave him strange looks, which went unnoticed by him. He was too happy to even glance at them. Once he returned home, he immediately went to his room and collapsed onto his bed with a lovestruck grin. Due to his larger size, Twilight had bought him a much larger bed, to which he was grateful for. There was a knock on the doors to his bedroom as he shook out of his trance and sat up. “C-come in.” he called. The doors opened to reveal Twilight Sparkle as she looked over at her number one assistant. “Hey Spike. How did things go with Rarity?” “Oh uh, good. Normal good.” he replied nervously. “Really? Then what happened to make you so happy?” “Um…” he turned away to hide the small blush on his cheeks. “You can tell me, Spike.” Twilight said with a knowing look. “Rarity kissed you, didn’t she?” Spike turned to her and forced out a chuckle. “What? No! I was just…imagining.” “Imagining what?” “Um…well.” finding nothing of a good excuse, the purple dragon let out a sigh. “Alright fine, Rarity did kiss me. Only on the cheek.” He turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, too embarrassed to face his caretaker. Hoofsteps could be heard until he felt a pair of forelegs wrap around his body. Spike opened his eyes to see Twilight hugging him. “Oh Spike, that’s so wonderful.” she said as she pulled away and smiled at him. “I always knew Rarity would return your feelings at some point. “Really?” Spike said with surprise. He knew Twilight knew about his feelings for the Element of Generosity, but never imagined her supporting his pursuit of her. “Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “But know this: whether Rarity returns your feelings or not, you have my blessing.” “Really?” She nodded in confirmation as the teenaged dragon embraced her in a hug. “Thanks, Twilight. You have no idea how much that means to me.” “You’re welcome.” she smiled as they broke the embrace. “Are you gonna join me, Starlight, and Sunset in the library?” “Later.” Spike replied as she nodded in understanding and left, closing the doors behind her. Once she was gone, he laid back down and closed his eyes in ecstasy. Maybe there was more hope Rarity would love him than he thought. Either way, he wouldn’t give up. The sun set in the horizon as the citizens of Ponyville flocked into town hall and took a seat in front of the stage inside of town hall. The time read 6:30, and the play that the students of the Ponyville schoolhouse were going to put on their show at precisely 7:00 in Town Hall. Discord teleported onto the front porch of Fluttershy’s cottage and knocked on her door as Angel opened it and glared at him before slamming the door. The Draconequus waited for a moment before knocking again, completely unfazed by the lagomorph's rudeness. He heard hoofsteps from inside come up to the door as it opened, revealing the Element of Kindness as she smiled up at her chaotic friend. “Good evening, Fluttershy.” Discord bowed. “I trust that you’re ready for tonight's performance?” “I am.” Fluttershy said before turning to Angel with a stern look. “And remember, Angel…” “No snacking, opening the door for strangers, and seconds during dinner.” the white bunny squeaked as his caretaker smiled in satisfaction and kissed him on the forehead, earning an embarrassed grumble from him. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” she said as she stepped outside and closed the front door. She immediately got teleported to Ponyville town square, not at all surprised by the sudden teleportation. After being friends with the Lord of Chaos for over 4 years, she was more than used to his random feats of chaos. “I do hope tonight's play will have some chaos in it.” Discord said as they walked towards Town Hall. “There’s nothing better than a show filled with lots of mayhem and drama.” “I know what you mean.” Fluttershy nodded. “Whether the play goes smoothly or not, I’m sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their schoolmates will do a wonderful job.” They got in the long line that stretched outside as Discord let out a groan. “A line? We have to wait in a line?” he complained. “Why did that play advertisement have to be so popular?” He summoned a flier for the school play as he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it and swallowing afterwards. “I’m sure we’ll be inside soon.” Fluttershy reassured him as the line moved a few steps. “If by soon you mean when we’re nothing but skeletons, then yeah.” She gave him a look. “What? I hate waiting.” Discord shrugged innocently as he leaned towards her ear. “And if you want, I can make this line move faster in a snap.” “No thank you.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m fine.” Discord folded his arms with an irritated growl as he thumped his lizard foot impatiently. ‘How much longer do we have to wait?’ He summoned a watch on his lion wrist as he looked to see that only a few minutes had passed. If this stupid line didn’t move within the next second… “Hey, Fluttershy.” His thoughts were interrupted as he turned to see none other than Meadow Brook, much to his displeasure. ‘Oh great.’ Discord thought sourly. ‘He’s here.’ “Meadow!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily as she embraced him. “I’m glad you could make it.” “Me too.” Meadow briefly hugged her back as they broke the hug. “I can’t wait to see the school play.” “Me neither. I’m really glad Applebloom and her friends are helping out their new classmate.” “So am I.” he nodded. Discord looked down at him with slightly narrowed eyes as he cleared his throat. “I too cannot wait until we get inside.” he said, hiding the displeasure in his voice as he forced a smile on his mouth. Thankfully, the line slowly began to move as the trio looked to see the front doors to Town Hall open. “Finally.” Discord sighed as they slowly made their way towards the tall building. Once they got up onto the patio, they placed their tickets inside the small ticket box as they went inside town hall. The foyer had more than a hundred seats and a large stage on the wall with intergalactic music being played in the background. The group picked up their own playbills from the small table next to the doors as they began to look for a spot to sit. “Fluttershy, Meadow, Discord!” The trio stopped when they heard their names called as they looked over in the center of the seats to see Rainbow Dash waving at them, who was sitting with Applejack and Rarity. “Girls!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily as she trotted over to the row where they were and took a seat next to her fillyhood friend. Unfortunately for Discord, Meadow moved ahead of him and sat down next to the yellow Pegasus as the chaos lord sat next to the light brown Pegasus, grumbling to himself. “Where are the others?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought they’d be here already.” “They’ll be here, darling,” said Rarity. “I'm certain of it.” “Well I hope they hurry up. The show’ll start soon.” Rainbow said impatiently. “I dunno about you guys, but I don’t think I can wait for much longer.” ‘Welcome to my world, Dashie.’ Discord thought as he opened his playbill, which in his opinion wasn’t anything exciting. “Be patient, Rainbow.” said Applejack. “Twilight and the others will be here soon.” Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait for much longer as they heard bouncing coming down the aisle. The group turned to see Pinkie hopping towards them as she took a seat next to Discord. “Hey girls, you too boys! Are you ready for the most amazing performance in Ponyville? Because I sure am!” Pinkie said rapidly as she took a seat next to Discord. “And they even gave me a playbill!” she pulled it out of nowhere as she quickly skimmed through it. “But I don’t see anything in here that says you have to pay the bill.” “Pinkie darling, playbills aren’t the bills you pay, they're just to show you the acting cast and members of the tech crew.” Rarity explained. “Oooooh, riiiiiight.” the Element of Laughter said in understanding. “But anyway, I can’t wait until the show starts, and I can’t wait for the others to get here too.” “That’s apparently the story of this evening.” Rainbow muttered under her breath as she pulled out her playbill and read it out of boredom. Discord read his playbill until he heard Fluttershy and Meadow conversing together. He let out a silent growl as he summoned a pair of ear plugs into his ears, pretending to be absorbed into his oh so entertaining playbill, which happened to be anything but. He glanced over at the two pegasus before returning to his small book, annoyed that Fluttershy was giving Meadow Brook so much attention. ‘What does she see in that guy?’ he thought. “Hi girls!” Despite wearing ear plugs, he heard the sound of a familiar Princess of Friendship as he lifted his head and turned to his left, seeing none other than Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike sitting in the remaining seats to the left. He forced a smile on his lips. “Why hello, Twilight and friends.” “Hello to you too, Discord.” Twilight said with her smile falling slightly, genuinely surprised that he came. The Draconequus could sense that as he grinned at her. “Surprised to see me? Well, I have been meaning to go and see a musical for quite a while.” “I can see that.” the purple alicorn nodded slowly before giving him a serious look. “But don’t do anything to disrupt the play.” Discord faked a gasp as if to feel offended by her assumption. “Why Twilight, I wouldn’t even dream of doing such a thing.” He grinned at her as an angel hollow formed above his head, causing the ponies to roll their eyes. Well, save for Fluttershy and Meadow Brook as the Element of Kindness giggled slightly while the Pegasus stallion gave him a look crossed with an expression of slight worry and uncertainty. “Then why are you wearing those ear plugs?” asked Starlight as she pointed up at his ears. “Hmm? Oh!” Discord reached up and twisted his ear plugs before pulling them out. “I was just using them to clean my ears.” he tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them whole as the group looked at it with disgust. Rarity put a hoof to cover her mouth as Meadow turned away from him, clearly uncomfortable with the chaos lord’s weird trick. The Draconequus noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fluttershy was the only one who didn’t even flinch at it, let alone turn away from him. It caused a sense of pride to well up within him as he noticed the lights beginning to dim. Everyone in the auditorium silenced their conversations as they looked to see the Ponyville school teacher, Cheerilee, stepping onto the stage and stopping in front of a spot where a spot light was pointing. “Good evening, everypony. Or rather, everycreature.” she said, noticing that Spike and Discord were present. “It pleases me immensely to see you all here tonight for my student’s school play. And it was all made possible due to 3 students of mine: Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” The audience applauded. “They pitched in and helped my new student, Spotlight, earn her cutie mark by asking me to allow her to write a school play. When I heard about this, I was more than happy to help out. It took many long rehearsals after school for over the past month, but it all paid off and my students are ready to perform.” ‘Hurry up. We don’t have all night.’ Discord thought impatiently. “Without further ado, it’s with grand pleasure that I give you: Super Space Rangers!” Cheerilee said proudly as everyone erupted into excited cheers, exiting the stage as the spotlight dimmed into complete darkness. ‘Finally.’ Discord thought as he got comfy and summoned a pair of 3D glasses. A half hour later, the play was deep in full swing. It was about a trio of superheroes out to save the universe from two snobby super villain sisters, who wanted to take over the universe and enslave every life form forever. “Have no fear, space troopers! We’ll save the universe!” Applebloom said boldly, wearing a red and yellow superhero costume and brown cowgirl boots with a red cape on her back and her red and yellow mask. “Yeah! We’ll defeat Princess Sparklepants and Lady Platinum even if we die trying.” Scootaloo piped up in agreement, wearing a purple and orange costume and a pair of purple boots on her hooves and a purple cape on her back and orange and purple mask over her eyes. Discord snickered. ‘Princess Sparklepants?’ It sounded a lot like the little nickname he gave Twilight, and it was rather amusing. ‘I wonder who it is?’ “Now on my watch!” a voice boomed from the background as out stepped Diamond Tiara. “Me and Lady Platinum will stop you.” She smirked at the trio. Her outfit consisted of a sparkly princess dress that was the same color as her fur with purple ribbons on the lower part of the gown and a diamond on the chest part. A golden yellow crown with three diamonds on it stood on top of her head and a pair of glass slippers bestowed on her hoofs. “Princess Sparklepants is right! You’re the ones who’ll be at our mercy.” another voice piped up as out stumbled Silver Spoon, who wore a light gray dress with small circular diamonds on the edge of the gown and a pair of light gray slippers on her hooves. Discord could've sworn he recognized both earth ponies. ‘Who are they?’ he thought before perking up slightly with realization. ‘Oh now I remember her. That’s…Diamond Crown and Silver Fork or whatever..’ He remembered hearing about them being the Ponyville schoolhouse bullies, not to mention the tormentors of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Diamond’s sudden reformation surprised the chaos lord when that day happened. She was almost a worse brat than Angel Bunny in his opinion. “In your dreams, maybe.” said Sweetie Belle, who’s superhero outfit was purple with sparkles and a purple cape over her back. Pink superhero high heel boots were on her hooves and her purple and pink mask showed proudly over her eyes. “We all know that you’ll never succeed.” “Ha! Not on my watch.” Princess Sparkle Pants scoffed definitely. “Once I capture all the life forms from across the universe, there’ll be nothing stopping me from my eternal ruling!” “Not on our watch.” said Scootaloo. “You’ll never succeed, especially on our watch.” “You’ll never defeat us!” Princess Sparkle Pants said haughtily as she and Lady Platinum turned and walked away, laughing evilly. “Yes we will!” Applebloom shouted in their direction. “Super Space Rangers, let’s move out!” “Yes ma’am!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said obediently as the lights dimmed into complete darkness. As the show went on, it became more action filled. There were even a number of funny moments that not even the spirit of chaos couldn’t resist chuckling at. However, not too long later on, his attention soon diverted back to the two Pegasus to his right. Meadow Brook and Fluttershy soon felt their hooves touching each other’s as they looked at each other for a second before smiling and returning their attention to the play. They scooted closer to each other as the Element of Kindness rested her head against Meadow’s shoulder, causing him to tense up with surprise before relaxing and draping his wing over her body. Discord watched their little friendly moment of affection with disgust. ‘Why is Fluttershy doing that to him? She usually does it with me, not some fanboy. Why is she so happy with him? Why isn’t she pulling away? Why isn’t she doing that with me instead of him?’ His thoughts were interrupted by the silent confused chatter of the audience as he looked to where they were looking, surprised to see a green and purple cotton candy cloud forming above the stage. He instantly made it disappear as some of the ponies in attendance turned his way, giving him suspicious looks. Discord faced the stage and ignored the looks he was receiving as he focused on the space chase scene that was going on. The rest of the play went on without incident as the lights illuminated the interior of Ponyville town hall as everyone rose to their hooves and applauded as the classmates of the local schoolhouse took a bow. A gray earth pony with a black mane and tail and blue eyes took a few steps in front of the colts and fillies and took another bow, presumably the writer of the entertaining performance, received another wave of cheers as she shyly took a bow before stepping back. Afterwards, the kids dispersed off the stage and went up to their family members as Discord rose to his feet and followed the ponies to his left out of the row. The group was immediately greeted by the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they galloped up to their big sisters. “Did you see us up there?” Scootaloo asked excitedly as she grinned up at her role model. “Sure did, Scoots,” Rainbow ruffled her mane. “Gotta admit; you look really cool with that costume on.” “Thanks.” “You all did a wonderful job.” Rarity said as she embraced her younger sister. “And your costumes make you look quite super if I do say so myself.” “I know.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Spotlight did an amazing job writing the play.” “Yeah,” Applebloom agreed. “Where are Big Mac and Granny?” she asked as she looked around the crows of ponies. “Granny caught a light cold and Big Mac had to stay behind to take care of her.” replied Applejack. “But I’m sure they’ll be real proud of you once we get home.” “We all are,” said Twilight before looking up at Discord with an unhappy look. “Now that that’s all taken care of, would you mind explaining that little cloud that formed above the stage, Mr. Lord of Chaos?” “If you must know, I didn’t do that.” Discord said honestly. “At least, not intentionally.” “Really?” Rainbow gave him a blunt look. “You’re the only magical being in Equestria that can make strange weather.” “That’s true, but I would never attempt to ruin a show like that. Besides, my clouds are pink, not green and purple.” To prove his point, Discord summoned a pink cotton candy in his hands as Pinkie widened her eyes at it and immediately leapt up and snatched it. “Dibs!” she shouted as she held it like a pillow and snuggled into the pink texture. “Do you really expect us to believe that?” asked Rainbow, still unconvinced. Fluttershy took a step forward and stood next to her chaotic friend. “If Discord says that he didn’t mean it, then I believe him.” she said as she smiled up at him. Discord smiled back. “Thank you, Fluttershy.” “Why don’t we go ahead and leave?” Twilight suggested. “It’s getting late and someone needs his rest.” She looked over at her teenaged number one assistant as he rubbed his eyes and quickly lowered his hands once everyone was looking at him with a sheepish grin. Everyone said their goodbyes and shared a group hug, excluding the Lord of Chaos, as they all went outside, only to discover that it was raining. “Oh, I didn’t even bring an umbrella.” Rarity complained. “My mane will get all wet.” “Relax, that's a simple fix.” Discord said dismissively as he snapped his fingers, causing magical force fields of the colors of the ponies to form around them. “These domes are resistant to any kind of weather and you can still breathe in them. They’ll only last until you all reach your homes so I highly suggest you get a move on.” Rainbow gave him a suspicious look as she stepped out from underneath the protective overhead patio and into the rain, surprised to see the rain falling onto the dome and not on her. “Huh. for once you do something right.” “For once?” the Draconequus raised a brow at her. “Are you implying that I never do anything right?” “Well, not everything you do is good,” the cyan Pegasus gave him a look. “But thanks for the dome.” She flew ahead of the group and back to her cloud mansion as the others followed in suit and went back to their respective homes. The only ponies who still stood by Discord were Fluttershy and Meadow Brook. The spirit of disharmony teleported in front of the yellow Pegasus and extended his eagle claw. “Do you want me to take you home, my dear?” he asked with a smile. “I trust you don’t want to brave the storm alone.” “Don’t worry, I’ll take her home.” said Meadow as he smiled at her. “If you want to, that is.” “I don’t see why not, but are you sure? I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble.” Fluttershy said. “It’s no trouble, Fluttershy. I don’t mind some extra time to chat with you.” “Well…okay.” The Pegasus mare smiled at him before turning her attention to her chaotic friend. “I hope you don’t mind, Discord.” Despite feeling angry at the light brown Pegasus for stealing away his number one friend, he forced a smile on his face. “Oh no, not at all.” he lied as he scooped her up into a hug, causing her to wrap her forelegs around his chest. “See you at our next tea party?” “See you then.” she broke the embrace as she landed on the ground and trotted with Meadow Brook to her cottage. Discord glared off into their direction bitterly with gritted teeth as he balled his fists and folded his arms. That meddlesome little fanboy had succeeded in stealing Fluttershy away from him. ‘Why that little…’ Letting out a growl, he disappeared back to his castle, more angry than ever at Meadow Brook. 3 nights later… “I don’t like him.” “Don’t like who?” Spike asked as he and Big Mac looked at Discord with curious expressions. It was time for their annual Guys Night, and tonight their Ogres and Oubliettes game was being held in Discord’s castle in his special O&O room. They were dressed up in their special outfits and the room was in the background of the O&O universe. “That ‘Meadow Brook’ guy.” Discord replied as he and his teammates trudged through a thick forest. “Why not?” Spike asked. “He’s a really nice guy.” “Eyup.” Big Mac nodded in agreement. “While that’s true, I think otherwise. He may claim to be a big fan of Fluttershy and share his love of animals with hers, but beneath all that is nothing but a bunch of lies. Plus he’s spending more time with her on a daily basis compared to me.” Spike and Big Mac looked at each other as their expressions transformed into knowing looks. “I know what’s going on.” said the purple dragon as he smirked at the chaos lord. “What?” Discord looked at him with curiosity. “You’re jealous.” The Draconequus skidded to a half as his teammates stopped in suit. “Excuse me?” he glared at him. “You’re jealous that Fluttershy is spending more time with Meadow instead of you.” “Eyup.” “What the…t-t-that’s not true.” Discord crossed his arms with a chuckle, finding the accusation to be very humorous. “Besides, I’m suspicious that he’s up to something no good.” “Like what?” Spike asked with a raised brow. “Well…” the Draconequus hesitated. What could he come up with to disprove the accusation? Perhaps Meadow was an infamous serial killer out to murder Fluttershy (which sounded convincing but a little too grim), or maybe he was an evil shape shifter out to destroy the world. That actually sounded pretty likely, but who in Equestria is an evil shape shifter? The only evil shapeshifter he could think of was a certain former Queen of the Changelings… A lightbulb flashed above Discord’s head. “Maybe, just maybe, ‘Meadow Brook’ is really Chrysalis in a disguise trying to exact her revenge.” he said, grinning at how convincing that sounded. Unfortunately for him, Spike and Big Mac didn’t believe him. “Nope.” the red stallion shook his head. “Nice try, Discord, but we all know that you’re jealous of Meadow.” Spike said. “Besides, this isn’t the first time this happened.” He had a point. Discord remembered when Fluttershy invited Tree Hugger to the Grand Galloping gala, making him feel extremely angry and left out. “Regardless if Meadow is an actual stallion or Chrysalis, I still don’t like the idea of him being so close to Fluttershy.” the Draconequus scowled. “And it’s not jealousy. Nothing more, nothing less.” “Come on, Discord. It’s alright to admit that you’re jealous. It’s not gonna mess up your image if that’s what you’re worried about.” said Spike. “Plus, if Meadow and Fluttershy become a couple, how would you react?” Discord froze. The very image of them both falling in love and getting married in the future caused his eye to twitch. He took a few deep breaths as he addressed the teenage dragon. “Well, if and only if they become a couple, I’ll support Fluttershy in any way that I can.” the chaos lord explained. “Even if I hate it.” he added under his breath. “Well, if you say so,” said Spike reluctantly. “But it’s alright to feel jealous, just don’t let it get the better of you.” “For the last time, I’m not jealous.” the Draconequus said defiantly. “Besides, why would I feel that way anyway?” “Well…” the purple dragon hesitated. “Well what?” Discord leaned down to his eye level. “Is there something you’d like to tell the rest of the class?” a teacher’s outfit materialized on his body as an apple popped into existence on his lion paw. The little charade soon returned to his Captain Wuzz outfit. “well…It’s just a theory, but…maybe you have a crush on Fluttershy?” Spike reluctantly answered as he turned away with tightly closed eyes and awaited the chaos lord’s reaction. After a few minutes of silence, he slowly turned back to see Discord frozen with shock and confusion. “Discord?” Spike waved a claw in front of his eyes. “Hello? Garbuckle the Magician to Captain Wuzz.” After another moment of being like a statue, Discord erupted into laughter as the purple dragon took a couple steps back from him, startled by his sudden reaction. “Me?! In love?!” His laughter soon became hysterical as he collapsed onto the floor and rolled around as if he heard the most funny joke of all time. He was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was beginning to struggle for air. His laughter soon died down as he stood up and wiped his eyes and cheeks clean from his mirthful tears. “Why on earth would I feel that way to Fluttershy?” he asked with a small chuckle. “She and I are just friends.” “Well, you both have been spending a lot of time together.” replied Spike. “Some friends of the opposite gender do find themselves falling in love sometimes.” “While that’s true, that isn’t how me and Fluttershy will turn out, especially with Meadow Brook around.” Discord huffed. “Besides, what good is there in making kissy faces and holding hooves and staring at each other lovingly?” he puffed out his cheeks at the thought with a gag as he gulped down whatever vomit filled up his mouth. Big Mac and Spike shared a confused look. “Discord? Do you even know what love is?” asked the purple dragon. “Of course I do. It’s how I just described it.” the chaos lord replied before raising an eyebrow. “Why?” “Well, maybe that’s how you feel towards Fluttershy. Ya do speak really fondly of her all the time.” explained Big Mac. “But if you’re sayin’ that you’re just friends and nothin’ more then that’s fine, but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with lovin’ somepony.” “And how would you know, Big Mac?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Spike may have a crush on Rarity, but you’re the only one who doesn’t like anypony.” “Well…as a matter of fact, I do.” the red stallion murmured as he looked away shyly with a small blush. Spike and Discord charred surprised looks. “What?!” they both exclaimed before turning back to their companion. “Who is it?” “Her name’s Sugar Belle.” Big Mac replied. “Wait a minute, Twilight told me about her.” Spike piped up with a raised finger in familiarization. “She’s that unicorn with that bakery in Starlight’s old village, right?” “Eyup.” Big Mac sighed. “I’ve been makin’ a few apple deliveries to her bakery for the past couple weeks just to see her.” his expression became loving. “She’s real sweet, hard workin’, and one heck of a good baker.” Discord fought the urge to roll his eyes at how love sick his friend was as he teleported to his side and draped his arm over the red stallion’s shoulder with a smile. “Well first, Macky ol’ boy, congratulations on finding your true love.” “Thanks.” Big Mac smiled slightly. “Second of all…” Discord continued as he teleported back to his spot. “What does any of this have to do with me? Are you saying that the more I see Fluttershy, the higher the risk I’ll get at ‘falling in love with her?’” “Well, it could happen.” Spike replied with a shrug. “But if you do develop feelings for her, what’ll you do about it?” “Oh I don’t know. Tell her, and await a completely and utterly humiliating rejection?” the Draconequus replied dramatically before chuckling. “Oh no no no no no. I cannot, will not, allow my poor little heart to get broken, especially by Fluttershy.” “But she won’t.” the purple dragon argued. “From what I can tell, she really enjoys your company no matter how often you see each other.” “Of course she does. We’re friends.” “But maybe-” “Look, can we please continue on with our little adventure?” Discord interrupted with annoyance. “I’d much rather defeat the evil Squizzard with you both than talk about ‘love’ all evening.” Spike and Big Mac shared a look as the purple dragon let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s go.” “Good.” The chaos lord smiled in satisfaction as he and his colleagues continued on through the thick forest. ‘But you know I’m right.’ Spike thought to himself. Discord laid on top of his bed in his bedroom as he stared down at the ceiling/floor, conflicted by his thoughts. He’d teleported Spike and Big Mach back to their homes many hours ago after finishing their O&O game and defeating the evil Squizzard together. The disharmony spirit should’ve been asleep, considering that it was past one in the morning, but laid awake as he recalled the words that Spike had shared with him. He was still appalled that the purple teenager accused him of being jealous, to which he still denied, but his thoughts were clouded by one little word that had him up this late into the night. Love. Discord shook his head with a scoff. He was not in love with Fluttershy, and only their friendship mattered to him. He was still disturbed by the potentiality of Meadow becoming her boyfriend and spending less time with him. Could it be that they were spending a lot of time together because they were…calling for each other? The chaos lord shook his head. ‘Absolutely not!’ he thought strongly. ‘There’s no way in Tartarus Fluttershy would develop feelings for that fanboy, especially when he’s really Chrysalis in a disguise.’ He smiled at how convincing that sounded. ‘Yes, that’s probably it. I’m not jealous nor in love with Fluttershy, and she probably doesn’t have such feelings for me nor Meadow anyway. I mean, she would never love a monster like me.’ Discord winced as he felt a jolt of pain in his chest. “What was that?” he silently said aloud as he placed his. “Why did it hurt to say that?” He shifted his position so that he was laying on his left side. All he was thinking about was how ridiculous it would be if Fluttershy had feelings for him. Another painful jolt. Discord rolled back onto his back, confused by the heart attack-like feeling inside him. ‘Why did it still hurt to think that? I mean, what good is there in loving somepony anyway? What’s the point of love?’ His thoughts drifted off as another question popped up in his head. ‘What is love?’ For the first time in his life, he was truly confused. He had absolutely no idea what the definition of love was. Who could he go to for advice on it? ‘Not Twilight.’ Discord thought. ‘She’s the Princess of Friendship, not love.’ His eyes widened slightly. ‘Wait a minute…’ There was only one love princess in Equestria, and she was currently the ruler of the Crystal Empire with her husband and newborn daughter. And she was none other than Princess Mi Amore Cadenza aka Cadence. “That’s it!” Discord suddenly shouted as a lightbulb flashed brightly above his head. “I’ll ask her about love. There’s no way she’ll turn down an offer to teach a student about the subject she knows best. I can swing by her castle tomorrow and she can teach me.” He grinned to himself before frowning. ‘Why on earth would she teach me about love? She’ll probably think I’m up to something, especially her hubby.’ Then again, there were many ways to convince others he had honest intentions. And knowing Cadence, there was no way she would turn down an offer to teach a reformed villain such as himself the definition of love and how it works in life. Then again, there was Shining Armor, who still didn’t trust the chaos lord, especially after siding with Tirek. Plan in mind, Discord teleported underneath his covers and poked his head out from the top as he rested it on his pillows and closed his eyes. If it was a competition Meadow Brook wanted, then that’s just what he’ll get. To be continued… Author's Note I hope you enjoyed this! Sorry for not showing more of what happened during the play the Cutie Mark Crusaders did, but I didn’t feel like doing it. As you probably guessed, the love triangle between Discord, Meadow Brook, and Fluttershy is well underway, which is inspired by the love triangle in My Little Pony: Love is Magic. But anyway, see you in Chapter 5! 😀
Friendship and Harmony: Darkness Awakens: Chapter 5Discord awoke the next morning with a jolt as he rubbed his eyelids with a yawn. With half lidded eyes, he glanced at his alarm clock, which showed that it was fifteen minutes past seven am. He closed his eyes and slowly felt himself falling back asleep before opening his eyes suddenly. Today was the day he had to go and see Cadence. Sitting up, he teleported into his bedroom bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth before teleporting into the kitchen and summoning a box of completed A+ homework assignments. ‘If I’m going to learn, I must be smarter.’ the chaos lord thought as he took out the first paper he saw and crumpled it into a ball. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully as he swallowed it, taking a sip of a glass of chocolate milk he summoned. “Not bad,” he said aloud. “However, if I’m going to get to Cadence on time, I must hurry.” Nodding to himself, he took twenty papers into his hands and crammed them into his mouths he chewed them before swallowing. As he ate his meal at the same pace, his thoughts drifted off to the dreams he had last night. In his dreams, Discord was relaxing in an easy chair with a glass of chocolate milk with ice cubes in them on his front lawn wearing a pair of sunglasses when he heard soft and angelic singing. He made his chair and drink disappear as he teleported off towards the source. When he teleported, he arrived at Sweet Feather Sanctuary and spotted Fluttershy sitting by herself with some birds, singing to them. When she saw the chaos lord, she waved at him and invited him over to her spot, to which he obliged. When he came to her side, he sat down and complemented her lovely voice, earning a shy thank you and an adorable blush from the Element of Kindness. He asked her to sing to him, causing her to hesitate for a moment before agreeing. As she sang, Discord listened to her voice with a dreamy expression, finding her heavenly voice to be very enjoyable. However, his initial joy was shattered when he spotted a familiar light brown Pegasus stallion flying towards them, causing the Draconequus to narrow his eyes in annoyance Meadow Brook landed on the ground in front of them and asked what was going on as Fluttershy replied by saying that she was just singing. He then asked if she could continue singing as she replied with a simple yes and did so. Discord was unhappy that meddlesome fanboy interrupted his one-on-one time with his number one friend, but forced himself to focus on her singing voice. After she finished singing, he and Meadow applauded at her, causing her to look away shyly with a mumbly thank you. Meadow then asked if he could treat Fluttershy to lunch, to which she agreed happily before apologizing to her chaotic friend and hoping he wouldn’t mind visiting some other time. He was of course upset by the sudden change, but lied by saying that he didn’t mind. Fluttershy gave him a hug before flying off with Meadow Brook, holding hooves as they disappeared into the air. Discord was saddened by her leaving and missed her presence already, but angry at Meadow for taking her away from him. The Draconequus let out a huff as he ate 20 more A+ homework papers. ‘There will be no more Mr. I’m Gonna Allow You To Take Fluttershy Away From Me after today, Meadow Brook.’ he thought to himself. ‘After today, Fluttershy will be mine.’ He shook his head. ‘No, Fluttershy isn’t mine. We’re just friends, nothing more nothing less.’ Discord smirked to himself. There was no way in the wide world of Equestria a pony like her would ever love someone like him. His body twitched at the twinge of pain that shot through him. ‘What is wrong with me?!’ he shouted in his mind. ‘Why does it have to hurt to think that?’ He took a sip of his chocolate milk as he took forty homework papers from his box and gulped them down whole. Shaking off the jolt he felt, he began to contemplate how his idea of learning love for the Princess of Love would help him. While it was clearly obvious he was not in love with Fluttershy, he wanted to learn about it out of boredom, plain and simple. Plus, it would be a perfect opportunity to gain the upper hand against Meadow Brook and prevent him from getting closer to her. Taking the box into his hands, he poured the remaining homework assignments into his mouth and gulped them down as he shrugged down the rest of his chocolate milk, letting out a burp afterwards as he made the empty box and glass disappear in a flash of light before teleporting away, determined to get his lessons started. Discord reappeared in the snowy outskirts near the Crystal Empire, shivering as he folded his arms and looked around in confusion. This wasn’t where he wanted to reappear. He just shrugged and clapped his hands twice, teleporting in front of the front doors to the Crystal Castle in the Crystal Empire, startling the two purple Pegasus guards posted on both sides before they recollected themselves and narrowed their eyes at the chaos lord. “Do you have an appointment?” one of the guards demanded. “An appointment?” Discord raised a brow. “I thought Cadence was open to anypony in need of love advice.” “Do you have an appointment, yes or no?” the guard repeated impatiently. ‘Sheesh. Tough crowd.’ the Draconequus thought before replying with a simple, “No.” “Then you can’t see her majesty,” said the other guard. “Now please leave.” “Oh come now, let's be reasonable. I thought good ol’ Cady allowed all the heroes of Equestria in her castle whenever they came here, and if you need a reminder of past events, I helped Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and a Changeling by the name of Thorax save everyone from the rest of the Changelings over a month ago. Does that ring any bells?” The guards looked at each other. He was right, and even Cadence told them about it that day. Nodding to themselves, they retracted their spear and allowed him to enter. “I knew you’d cooperate.” Discord smiled at them as he teleported inside of the castle. He reappeared inside of the hallways and spotted the door to the throne room. He was about to knock when a voice stopped him. “Discord?” He turned to his left and saw none other than Sunburst carrying Flurry Heart in her wheelless stroller trotting up to him. “What are you doing here?” the yellow unicorn asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ah Sunburst! Good to see you, old bean.” the Draconequus grinned at him before leaning down to the baby alicorn. “And little Flurry Heart too.” He reached up and tickled her chin with his eagle talon as she giggled in response and reached up to him. “Um, what are you doing here in the castle?” Sunburst asked as the chaos lord stood up to full height. “Well, if you must know, I’m in need of some…advice from the Princess of Love herself.” Discord replied, choosing not to go into full detail. “You’re here for love advice?” “No, I’m here because I don't know what love is.” ‘At least that part’s true,’ the Draconequus thought. “But why would you want to know what love is?” Sunburst asked. “You’re the oldest magical being in Equestria, so it’s only natural you’d know the most about pony culture.” “I do and I am, but…” the disharmony spirit hesitated, winding up empty of excuses as he let out a sigh. “Alright fine, I suppose you deserve to know the truth.” The yellow unicorn motioned for him to continue as he and Flurry Heart looked up at Discord with curiosity. “A few days ago, a Pegasus stallion by the name of Meadow Brook moved into Ponyville and quickly became friends with Fluttershy and gained her trust very easily. They’ve been spending a lot of time together and I don’t like it, mainly because I’m suspicious that Meadow is up to something no good and is using Fluttershy as a means to get away with his plans. The reason why I’m here is so that I can learn what love is and how to gain the upper hoof.” “So the reason why you’re here to see Cadence is because you’re jealous of Fluttershy and Meadow's friendship, and to top it off, you have a crush on her.” Sunburst summarized. Discord face palmed himself as he dragged his lion paw down his face in annoyance before leaning down to the yellow unicorn’s eye level with a glare, causing him to back away slightly in intimidation. “Let me make one thing clear, Sunny,” he said in a low tone. “I’m not jealous nor in love with Fluttershy. She and I are just friends and that’s how things are gonna stay. Got it?” Sunburst gulped and nodded. “So, is Cadence available or not? I have a very important appointment with her.” “She’s in the throne room and nopony’s speaking with her at the moment.” “Good.” Discord rose to his full height as he strode over to the doors and placed his lion paw on the handle. “Oh, and before I forget…” he turned back to the yellow unicorn. “What is it?” Sunburst asked. “Starlight has a crush on you.” And with that, the chaos lord teleported away. “Oh, okay.” Sunburst said casually as he went on down the hallway with Flurry Heart in her stroller in his magical grasp. He suddenly stopped with widened eyes. “Wait, what?!” Cadence sat on her throne with a smile, pleased that the day had less responsibilities than usual. Usually she and her husband, Shining Armor, were sometimes needed in meeting with other delegates and leaders from across Equestria, but today there were no tasks, so she chose to sit in the throne room and wait for anyone who needed love advice. She levitated a glass of water over and took a sip before letting out a sigh. “It’s so peaceful.” she said to herself. “It most certainly is.” a voice spoke up and echoed from out of nowhere. “But don’t get used to it, you’ll become quite the peace addict.” Cadence’s smile fell. There was only one being in the land that had that voice. “Hello Discord.” she said with slight disdain. The said spirit of chaos materialized in front of her with his entire body completely crystalized. “Why hello, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Discord grinned at her as he took a bow before striking a pose. “Like what I’ve done with myself? Do I look sparkly?” “You do.” the love princess replied. “Is there a reason why you’re here besides just to show me your new look?” “There is actually.” Discord said as he made his body return to normal. “There’s a little something I’ve been meaning to ask since last night.” “And that is?” she prompted him to continue. “Well…” he suddenly became nervous. “Can you…show me what love is?” he quietly mumbled. “What?” Cadence gave him another raised eyebrow. “Can you please…show me what love is?” he repeated even quieter “Discord, I can’t understand you with you mumbling like that.” The Draconequus let out an irritated sigh. “Fine! Can you please show me what love is?” He turned away, expecting her to laugh at him. After a half minute of silence, he turned back to see the Princess of Love giving him a confused expression. “You want to know what love is?” she asked. “I thought you already knew it.” “Well, contrary to popular belief, I don’t.” Discord replied honestly. “In the past, I thought love is when you hold your hooves and stare lovingly at each other and make kissy faces.” he bit back the gag that threatened to go up his throat. “But why do you want to know what love is?” Cadence asked. The chaos lord sighed as he explained how a stallion named Meadow Brook, who happened to be a fan of Fluttershy, moved to Ponyville a couple days ago and became really close to her in a short amount of time, leaving out when he tried to use a Manticore on him and the conversation he had with Spike and Big Mac last night. He also added that he was suspicious Meadow was up to something and was using Fluttershy.. Cadence listened intently and waited until he finished before speaking up. “So you think Meadow Brook is trying to use Fluttershy for some no good reason and the only way to gain the upper hoof is by being even nicer?” “Precisely.” Discord replied with a matter-of-factly smile. “What other explanation could there be?” “Well, perhaps you’re just jealous of Fluttershy and Meadow’s friendship.” Cadence said with a knowing smile as the Draconequus immediately shook his head with a chuckle. “Cadence, Cadence, Cadence. I’m the spirit of chaos, not jealousy.” he said with an amusing grin. “Besides, I’m not jealous. I’m simply suspicious of Meadow’s true intentions.” The pink alicorn shook her head. “You can’t hide it from me, Discord. I know you feel jealous of him spending so much time with her.” “And why, pray tell, do you know that so smartly? Are you some kind of psychic?” “Not in the way you think,” Cadence replied before giving him another knowing look. “But, I think you’re here to learn about love because you secretly developed a small crush on Fluttershy.” Discord immediately shot her a glare. “I did no such thing.” he stated firmly with the stomp of his goat hoof. “Is that so? Then how do you explain your jealousy?” “I’m not jealous. Why do you ponies keep saying that?” “Because it’s obvious.” “My so-called ‘jealousy’ is nothing obvious.” Discord pouted. “Now, can you please teach me about love so that we can forget this conversation ever happened?” “I will, but I’ll need your honest answer about something.” Cadence replied as she stood up and flew down and landed in front of him. “This better not be about my ‘jealousy’ nor feelings for Fluttershy.” “Well, let me ask you this; do you want Fluttershy to be your special somepony?” “Of course not.” the chaos lord replied bluntly. “There’s no way in the wide world of Equestria a beauti- I-I mean heroic pony like Fluttershy would ever like a reformed villain like me.” He felt that familiar twinge of pain but thankfully didn’t twitch. Cadence looked at him as she suddenly felt herself pitying him. ‘Does he really think that?’ Being the Princess of Love, she always thought no matter who it was and their past, everyone deserved to have somepony to love. Hearing Discord saying that he didn’t want anypony to love him despite his past caused a sense of confusion and sympathy to well up within her. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing he came here for advice.’ she thought to herself. ‘If he believes Fluttershy will never love him, then he’ll never truly be happy in life.’ That’s when an idea popped up in her mind. ‘Perhaps all he needs is a small push. Showing him what love is will probably change his mind.’ “Cadence?” She shook her head and snapped out of her thoughts as she looked to see Discord waving his eagle claw in front of her eyes. “Hello, Equestria to Cadence!” he said a little louder. “Oh, s-sorry.” she apologized as the Draconequus pulled back to his full height. “So…about those lessons,” he said hopefully. “Will you have the honor of being my teacher?” “Discord, it would be my honor to teach you about love.” Cadence said proudly as she smiled up at him. “Huzzah!” She suddenly found herself standing in front of a chalkboard as she turned to see Discord sitting on an office chair in front of a school classroom desk. A notebook, pencil, and eraser were placed proudly on the desktop. “What?” the Draconequus shrugged innocently. “If I’m going to be your student, we have to make our environment a little more ‘learny.’” The love princess looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes with a smile and levitating a chalk stick up to the chalkboard. “So, do you know what love is?” “When you make love to each other and kiss like crazy?” Discord answered, shuddering at the thought. Cadence let out a giggle, finding his lack of knowledge on the subject she knew would make him happy to be rather amusing. “Not always. Love is when you care for someone deeply because you choose to do so.” “Mmm-hmm.” The disharmony spirit hummed half-mindedly as he opened his notebook to the first page and wrote down what she said before looking back up at her. “And what are the different forms of love?” She was happy that he wasn’t doing anything that made it look like he was disinterested. “Well there’s friendship love, love for everyone, long standing love, love on the shelf, obsessive love, romantic love, and eros. “Eros? What’s that?” “Well…” the love princess hesitated for a moment before moving over to him and indicating that he leaned in for her to whisper in his ear. He did so as he listened to what she said before widening his eyes and pulling away. “Eww.” he shuddered. “There’s no way I’ll ever be like that, especially with Fluttershy.” “Well, I’m glad that you think that.” she smiled at him. “But it could happen. When romantic couples get married, they h-” “Yes yes, I get the idea.” Discord interrupted, not at all wanting to hear what she would’ve said as he teleported her back to her spot in front of the chalkboard. “Anyway, what do you do when you…love somepony?” She looked at him for a moment before continuing. “When you love somepony, you find yourself caring about them immensely. You care less about yourself and more about your friends, family, and your special somepony.” As Cadence continued her lesson, Discord found himself drifting away from his note taking and towards an out of nowhere daydream. In his little mental image, he and Fluttershy were sitting in the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen in her entire life. He brought them there to celebrate their anniversary of being friends, to which she was extremely grateful for. He made her a little friendship crown out of white and pink flowers that he thought would make her beautiful and placed it on her head before summoning a mirror and showing her reflection. Once she saw her reflection, she was amazed by the crown and thanked him with a hug and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. Discord was surprised by her reaction as she giggled at him before sitting back down against the ground and nuzzling his side. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but that little kiss on his cheek made him feel warm and fuzzy, as if he were a stuffed animal who got loved by the most beautiful filly in the world and treasured. Yes, that’s how he felt about the kiss. He liked it. No, he loved it. “Discord!” He jumped at the sudden voice as he snapped out of his thoughts and looked to see Cadence giving him a stern expression. “Pay attention.” she reprimanded him. “Oh, y-yeah yeah, sorry.” the Draconequus stammered slightly as he corrected his posture. “What were you daydreaming about that left you so distracted?” Discord suddenly felt nervous. “Umm, well…” What could he tell her? That he and Flutttershy were having a lovely picnic together and she kissed him when he made her a flower crown? ‘No, don’t tell her!’ his mind screamed at him. ‘Cadence will just make fun of you.’ “Discord?” He looked to see the love princess walking over to him. “Y-yes?” he said hesitantly. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Cadence asked, a look of concern washed over her face, surprising the Draconequus. “You do know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?” “I can?” he asked in surprise. “Of course you can. We’re friends.” He was even more surprised. “We are?” “Why not?” she smiled at him. “You were one of the saviors that rescued us from the Changelings, so I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.” “What about your husband?” He looked around for him. “Speaking of which, where is he?” “Shining’s training some of the guards.” Cadence replied. “As for how he views you, he still doesn’t trust you, but he’s less suspicious of you.” “Okay?” Discord raised a brow at her. “Anyway, why are you declaring we’re friends? Especially after how I third-wheeled your day out with Twilight that one time?” “Because I know that you’ve been making progress since your betrayal to Tirek.” she replied. The chaos lord winced at that memory as she continued. “While you haven’t been the most mature of reformed villains, you’ve been striding to do more good instead of evil. You still make a ton of mistakes, but nopony’s perfect.” “Are you saying you like me as a friend because I’m a goofball?” Discord asked. Cadence giggled. “No, silly. I’m saying that I want to be your friend because I think you’re a wonderful and funny person to be around. Plus, what’s wrong with having more than one friend?” she smiled at him. The Draconequus felt a smile pull at his lips. “Well…nothing. Nothing that I know of.” he held out his lion paw. “Friends?” “Friends.” They shook hooves/paws as the Princess of Love smiled at him. “You see? That is an example of friendship love.” “I see.” Discord noted. “And…” the pink alicorn gave him a knowing look. “The love that you share between Fluttershy is-” “The same thing.” he cut her off with an irritated look. “She and I are just friends, as I said a few times before.” “Come on, Discord. I can tell that you have a small crush on her, I am the Princess of Love after all. Besides, Why else would you increase your visits with her?” “As a matter of fact, I have an extremely good reason.” Discord said with a smirk. “You know that Chrysalis is still on the run, right?” “Yes?” Cadence raised a brow at him. “But what does that have to do with anything?” “Everything. I’m increasing my visits to Fluuttershy so that I can protect her when that bug queen returns.” he smirked victoriously, proud at how convincing that sounded. “While that is a good point, I’m afraid that I have to dissuade your claim.” the Princess of Love said as she smiled teasingly at him. “Either way, I think it’s cute that you care about Fluttershy so much you’d increase your visits to protect her.” “Cute?” Discord uttered in disbelief, earning a small giggle from Cadence. “Cute?!” he roared as he shot a fierce glare at her. “Listen here, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Fluttershy and I are just friends, and that’s how things will stay. As for how much I care about her, it’s not cute. It’s like a friend for a friend, nothing more nothing less. Besides, what good is there in falling in love and going out on dates and getting married and spending the rest of your lives together…” His voice trailed off as he began to imagine himself and Fluttershy going out on dates of their choice. An unexpected smile formed on his mouth as he imagined themselves enjoying all the romantic times they would share together in the future, laughing at each other’s jokes, playing games together, holding each other close in a warm embrace, leaning towards each other’s faces and kissing… His smile became dreamy as he imagined a wedding between himself and Fluttershy. He could already see her in the most beautiful wedding dress anypony could ever make. They would say their vows, share a kiss at the end, dance together, toss the bouquet of flowers to the next bride in line, go on their honeymoon, and then return to the Castle of Chaos, where they would spend the rest of their days together. They could even start a family and raise a couple of kids, adopted or ones of their own. Discord shook out of his trance immediately as regained his posture. “As I said before, Fluttershy and I are just friends, and she’d never want to tie herself to a beast like me” he said in denial as he felt that familiar twinge of pain. While it didn’t physically hurt, it mentally hurt. Despite that, he ignored the feeling. He felt a hoof on his arm as he looked up to see Cadence giving him a comforting look. “Discord, you don’t have to doubt yourself so much.” she spoke in a comforting motherly tone. “I have no doubt that Fluttershy would love to spend the rest of her life with you.” “You don’t have to talk to me like that, you know.” said the Draconequus. “Anyway, we can't be together, even if it were to turn out she’s in love with me. It wouldn’t work out between us.” “Why not?” “Well, you should know my situation.” he replied, irritation and annoyance creeping into his tone. “While Fluttershy and I will remain friends for a really long time, which I’m perfectly fine with without anything changing our friendship, she’ll soon grow old and die, leaving me by myself for the rest of my immortal life. It’s just like you and your husband but with romance and what not. You’ll have your daughter and Twilight, who are also immortal like you, but you’ll be all alone without your soul mate.” “I know.” Cadence said sadly as she frowned at the image sprung upon her. “Shining Armor and I actually talked about it, and he said that he’ll always be with me even after he passes away.” a smile of sadness and grief formed on her lips as she looked up at the chaos lord. “And I’m certain Fluttershy will say the same thing, whether you both remain friends or become something more.” Discord looked at her for a moment. It definitely sounded like something the Element of Kindness would say to him, even if he wasn’t saddened by the prospect of her passing away decades in the culture. ‘Nevertheless, we’ll stay friends.’ he thought. “Now Discord, I want to ask you something and I need you to answer me as honestly as you can.” The love princess got his attention as he looked at her. “What is it?” he softly asked. “How do you feel when you’re around Fluttershy?” “Well…” a small smile tugged at his mouth. “It’s funny, really. Whenever I see her, I can’t help but feel happy, like I’m comfortable around her. Every Tuesday, we have a tea party where we share what’s been going on during the week and I get the chance to be myself around her. I enjoy hearing her laugh and seeing her smile everytime we see each other, even in between our tea parties. The one thing I like about her is that she always sees the good in me and the benefit of the doubt when other ponies don’t, and her friends are examples of them.” Discord paused as an image of the yellow Pegasus mare formed in his mind, causing his smile to grow. “I enjoy making her laugh. It’s such a pretty sound to listen to, and it makes me proud to know that I have somepony who doesn’t resent me for my past. While Fluttershy is stubborn and somewhat of a hothead when something happens to her friends, she can be brave, smart, and super caring to those she loves.” He frowned as he gave Cadence a confused look. “Why do you ask?” “Because I can help you.” she replied. “Help me?” Cadence nodded. “I can help you win Fluttershy’s heart if you’ll allow me to do so.” The Draconequus refused. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want Fluttershy to be my marefriend.” “Why not?” “As I stated before, we’re just friends. She's kind and I’m chaotic, she’s one of the heroes of Equestria while I’m just a reformed villain who doesn’t know everything about friendship.” Cadence looked at him for a moment before saying, “I’m certain Fluttershy will prefer you as yourself, even with your bad past.” Discord let out an irritated sigh. “Look, can we please return to the lesson? I won’t be able to look better than Meadow Brook if you keep pestering me about my so-called ‘crush’ on Fluttershy.” “But wouldn’t it-” “Helooo? You’ve got a student waiting for his lessons here!” The Princess of Love wanted to continue to reason with him, but knew that they were wasting time debating on whether or not the chaos lord had a crush on Fluttershy. Letting out a defeated sigh, she said, “Alright, I’ll drop the subject and we’ll continue the lesson.” “Good.” Discord nodded. In her mind, Cadence let out an annoyed sigh. ‘That Draconequus is more stubborn than a mule.’ she thought as she continued the love lesson. Rarity levitated a dress onto a clothes rack. She made sure that it was straightened out before nodding with a satisfied smile. “There, all done.” She turned and looked around her room. There were four other clothes racks all filled to the brim with dresses of different styles and colors. On her bed were several suitcases, a few of them were overflowing with different items and clothing that the Element of Generosity thought she needed. A knock on her bedroom door got her attention as she looked to see Sweetie Belle entering the room. “I’m all packed up.” she said. “That’s great, Sweetie,” her older sister smiled at her as she stood up from her work stool. “And Thank you for staying at Sweet Apple Acres while I’m at Canterlot Carousel organizing all these dresses.” “You’re welcome, but are you sure I can’t come with you? I can help.” “I appreciate your selflessness darling, but I’m sticking with my decision. I would let you stay home alone, but you can’t even cook for yourself. Not to mention I can’t fully trust you with taking care of Opal.” “I understand.” Sweetie Belle said without disappointment. “It’s great that me and the Crusaders get to have a sleepover together, but I’m really gonna miss you.” Rarity smiled sweetly at her as she embraced her. “Oh Sweetie, I’ll miss you too.” They broke the embrace as the unicorn filly asked, “Do you at least want some help with taking your things to the train station? I don’t think you want to carry all your luggage and dresses all at once.” She did make a good point, Rarity nodded to herself. Even with her magic she wasn’t strong enough to pull her dress racks and carry her luggage without struggle. If only there was someone she knew who was strong enough to at least carry her bags while she pulled her dress racks. That would make her work load a lot lighter. Rarity perked up suddenly before addressing her little sister. “Sweetie Belle, I’ll be right back. I just need to drop Opal off at Fluttershy’s a little earlier than expected.” “Oh…well, okay.” the unicorn filly said as the Element of Generosity trotted downstairs and found her beloved pet cat sleeping on her fainting couch. Rarity lit up her horn and levitated the now protesting feline inter her pet carrier as she stepped outside her home and quickly trotted to Fluttershy’s cottage. Upon reaching it, she knocked on the door and waited for a few moments before the door opened, revealing the Element of Kindness as she smiled at her friend. “Hi Rarity. What’s going on?” “I’m going to be at Canterlot Carousel for a couple days and I was wondering if you would take care of Opal for me.” Rarity explained. “Of course. I’d be happy to.” Fluttershy smiled as the pet carrier levitated down to her side. She opened the gate and allowed the white cat to step out and stretch before rubbing her head against her hoof with a purr. “Thank you, darling. I’ll be back on Wednesday.” “Okay, and have a nice trip.” “I will.” Rarity smiled at her before turning and trotting back into Ponyville. She went over to the path that led to the Castle of Friendship as she trotted up to the front doors of the large magnificent structure and knocked on them. Meanwhile inside the castle, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Sunset, and Flash Sentry were all in the dining room eating plates of waffles with strawberries and blueberries on top. “These waffles are really tasty, Twilight.” said Sunset. “I know you’re an expert on friendship, but I never knew you were a great cook.” “Thanks, Sunset.” Twilight said with modesty. “I’ve been taking a few cooking lessons with Pinkie, and Spike and I sometimes cook together.” “They seemed to have paid off,” said Flash as he smiled at her. “I really need to eat your waffles more often.” She felt a giddy feeling brew within her. ‘Does Flash really like my cooking?’ she thought to herself, finding it both exciting and hard to believe before swallowing her food and sending him a smile. “I’m glad you think so, Flash, and I actually plan on making pancakes for dinner tonight.” “That sounds delicious.” said Starlight as she took a bite of her waffle. Suddenly, faint knocking could be heard throughout the castle as everyone paused their movement. “I’ll get it.” said Spike as he placed his fork down on his plate and stood up. “Don’t worry Spike, I got this.” Flash said as he stood up and made his way to the doors to the dining room. “Are you sure? I can always answer the door for you so that you can continue eating.” Flash chuckled. “I appreciate it, but as a guard, it’s my duty to make sure whoever’s at the door isn’t here to cause any trouble.” “He does make a good point.” said Starlight as she took another bite out of her waffle. “Aw, what the heck.” Spike shrugged as he sat down and sent the Pegasus guard a smile. He smiled back with a salute as he flew out of the dining room and up to the front doors of the Castle of Friendship. Once he landed in front of them, he opened one of them, revealing none other than the bearer of the Element of Generosity. “Hello Flash Sentry.” Rarity smiled at him. “Is Spike here by any chance?” “He’s in the dining room with Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset.” Flash replied. “Want me to take you to him?” “I would be most grateful if you did.” The Pegasus guard opened the door further and allowed the white unicorn to enter the castle as he closed the doors and walked with her to the dining room. “So,” Rarity spoke up, choosing an icebreaker to prevent an awkward silence. “What do you think of Twilight?” “Hm?” Flash turned his gaze to her. “Oh! Twilight’s a really strong and courageous princess, and she’s a really powerful magic user. I can see why Princess Celestia chose her to be her personal student.” “Twilight is one of the best, but that’s not what I meant. What I meant was, do you like her?” He frowned in thought. “Well…she’s good company, and she’s really nice to me.” “I see.” Rarity noted. Being the romantic she was, she had a tendency to ship her friends with the stallions she knew they’d like. “Why do you ask?” asked Flash as he raised a brow at her. “Oh just a little conversation to prevent an awkward silence.” the Element of Generosity replied nonchalantly. “And look! We’ve reached the dining room.” True to her word, they were trotting up to the doors to the castle meal room. “Wait here.” Flash said as he opened the door and peaked in, gaining the attention of everyone who was still eating. “Hey Spike? There’s someone here to see you.” “Who is it?” the purple asked as the Pegasus guard opened the door further, allowing a certain white unicorn mare to enter. “Rarity!” Spike exclaimed happily as he stood up and rushed over to her, embracing her in a warm hug. “It’s good to see you too, Spikey-wikey.” she smiled as she hugged him back before they broke the embrace. “You all as well, girls.” “What brings you here, Rarity?” asked Twilight. “I’m actually in need of Spike if it’s alright with you.” “Me?” Spike looked at her curiously as they broke the embrace. “What’s going on?” “I need to take some dresses to my boutique in Canterlot, but I overpacked and I need someone to carry my luggage.” Rarity explained before turning to the Princess of Friendship. “Is it alright if I bring Spike with me, Twilight?” “I don’t see why not, but what do you think Spike?” the purple alicorn looked at her number one assistant. “Do you want to go with her?” “Yeah!” Spike replied almost immediately before clearing his throat. “I mean, I’d be honored to travel with you, Rarity.” “But finish your breakfast first.” Twilight said as she pointed to the half-eaten waffle next to her. “Oops, right.” the purple dragon rushed back over as he sat down and ate the rest of his waffle quickly. He gulped it down and drank all his water as he let out a pleased sigh. “All done.” The Princess of Friendship looked between him and his now empty plane and glass before letting out a sigh. When it came to being with his crush, there were no delays. “Go and pack your things.” “Yes ma’am!” Spike saluted as he stood up and rushed out of the dining room. Rarity stepped out and looked in the direction he went, surprised to see his running speed was faster than usual. ‘My goodness, when did he get so fast?’ she thought to herself. ‘Rainbow Dash would surely be impressed.’ Then again, she was impressed. It wasn’t that long ago Spike was slower than her and the others, not to mention he wasn’t as strong. He really is growing up. The purple dragon returned not too long afterwards wearing a purple and green backpack. “All packed!” “Already?” Rarity said in surprise. “What did you plan on bringing?” “Just ten of my Power Pony comics and my, um…” he hesitated as he cleared his throat. “Stuffed doll.” “You have a stuffed doll?” “Y-yeah.” the purple dragon admitted, too embarrassed to tell her what it looks like. “Anyway, let’s go.” “Hold on just one second, Spike.” Twilight spoke up from inside the dining room. “Don’t even think about leaving without saying goodbye.” Spike chuckled sheepishly. “Oops.” He went back inside and embraced his caretaker. “I’ll miss you, Twilight.” “I’ll miss you too,” the Princess of Friendship smiled as she hugged him back before breaking the embrace. Spike turned his attention to the two unicorns present as he went over and pulled them into a group hug. “I’ll see you both soon.” “Have fun, Spike.” Sunset Shimmer smiled. “Be sure to tell Celestia I said hi.” “Will do.” “And be safe.” added Starlight. “I will.” Spike chuckled as he broke the embrace and went over to Flash Sentry. “I’ll be back soon.” “Don’t hurry,” Flash smiled at him as they hoof bumped. “We still got a ton of Power Pony comics to read.” “I’ll be slow.” Spike stepped out of the dining room. “Ready.” he nodded at Rarity. “Alright, now let’s move post haste.” Rarity smiled at him as they walked down the hallways of the Castle of Friendship. “The train will be arriving at the station within the hour.” They exited the regal structure and returned to Carousel Boutique as they went up to her room and entered it. “Is that all you’re taking?” Spike asked as he pointed to the luggage on her bed. “Yes.” Rarity nodded. ‘I really need to consider packing a lot lighter.’ she added in her mind as the purple dragon went up to her bed and scooped all her suitcases into his arms. “All good.” Spike said as he moved to the doorway. “What about you?” “I am as well.” the white unicorn said as she lit up her horn and followed him out her room and down the stairs, pulling all five dress racks with her without struggle. “Hold on while I lock the front door.” “Sure thing.” nodded Spike as they stepped out of the building. Rarity was the last one to exit as she closed the front door before out a key from underneath the welcome mat and locked the door. She then placed the key back where it belonged as she and Spike went towards the train station. “Spike?” He turned to look at her. “Y-yeah?” he grunted. “Are you faring well? All those bags can get quite heavy.” said Rarity as she gave him a concerned look. “We can always take a break if you need to.” “No thanks, I'm fine.” Spike declined. “Either way, I don’t want you to miss the train.” “That’s thoughtful, but we’ve got plenty of time. Besides, your legs are shaking.” True to her word, his legs were indeed wobbling from the immense weight of the luggage he was carrying. Spike knew that she was right but chose to hide his discomfort. “No no no, I’m fine,” he said. “Besides, we’re almost at the station.” True to his word, they were no more than 10 hoofsteps away from the train station Rarity looked at him for a moment before shrugging as they stepped onto the steps and stepped onto the platform of the train station. She paid for her ticket and bought Spike one of his own as they moved over to the waiting area. Once they got there, the purple dragon placed the luggage onto the ground and collapsed onto the bench as he let out an exhausted sigh. “See? Nothing to it.” he smiled at the Element of Generosity. She looked at him for a moment and noticed that he was massaging his arm and shoulder muscles. While she was grateful that he was making things easier for her, she couldn’t help but feel bad that he was hauling all those bags and making him feel sore and tired. Before she could open her mouth and say anything, a distant train whistle caught her and Spike’s attention as they looked to their left and saw a steam engine pulling fifteen passenger cars towards the station. “That must be us.” said Spike as he stood back up and scooped all of Rarity’s luggage into his arms. The train pulled into the station and stopped as the doors on the doored cars opened, allowing the dozens of passengers to disperse off of the train. Once the crowd cleared somewhat, Spike and Rarity entered the train and found an empty train car with plenty of room for all her dresses and baggage. He placed her bags down on an empty spot of the train car while she pulled her dress racks into empty rows in front of other seats. Once that was done, they took a seat on the right side of the car with Spike being next to the window and the Element of Generosity next to him. “Thank you again for coming, Spike.” she said as she smiled at him. “You really are my favorite dragon.” Spike blushed with a shy smile. “Y-you’re welcome.” The sound of the train whistle could be heard followed by the conductor shouting, “All aboard! Next stop: Canterlot.” The doors closed as the train slowly pulled out of the Ponyville train station and was now heading towards the capital city of Equestria. Back in the Castle of Friendship, Twilight, Sunset, Starlight, and Flash Sentry finished their breakfast together and were exiting the castle dining room. Flash had to go to his post outside the library but thanked Twilight for the breakfast, earning a somewhat nervous “you’re welcome” from her. Despite being a little confused and a tad bit concerned at her awkwardness, he shrugged it off and went to his guarding post. “Thanks again for the waffles, Twilight.” said Sunset. “I forgot how delicious waffles could be.” “Thanks, Sunset. I’m really glad you loved them” Twilight smiled at her. “But anyway, is there something you’d like to do today before you return to the other world tomorrow?” “Well…actually, there is.” “What is it?” asked Starlight. “I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days, but I want to go to Canterlot and apologize to Princess Celestia for abandoning my studies.” Sunset replied. “I wanted to do it earlier but I was too nervous.” “It’s nothing to feel nervous about,” said Twilight. “I’ve been writing to Celestia about how much you’ve improved since you stole my crown and she’s really impressed.” “Really?” “Yeah. I can take you to the castle to talk with her if you want.” “Um…” Sunset thought for a moment. While she truly did want to make amends with the Princess of the Sun, she was worried about what could happen. Would Celestia be upset at her for her past behavior and punish her? Would she officially get expelled from the School of Gifted Unicorns? Would she face a trial for stealing Twilight’s crown? The more worryful thoughts filled her mind, the more she felt more and more unsure. “Sunset?” She snapped out of her thoughts and looked to see Twilight and Starlight giving her concerned looks. “Are you sure you want to see Celestia today?” asked the Princess of Friendship. “You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it.” “Oh…u-um I do.” Sunset said nervously as she forced a smile upon her lips. “I’m just a little nervous.” “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Celestia’s one of the nicest mares in all of Equestria, and I’m more than certain she’ll forgive you for your past transactions.” “Even if I tell her about what happened when you and Spike first went to the mirror world?” Starlight spoke up. “What exactly happened that day? I don’t believe you told me when we first met.” “Oh, sorry.” Sunset apologized as she explained everything that happened when Twilight and Spike chased after her into the mirror world, bringing up memories she deeply regretted. “I sometimes felt as if I didn't deserve to have any friends, but Twilight showed me otherwise.” The Princess of Friendship smiled at her as she placed her foreleg around the yellow unicorn’s shoulder. “Nopony deserves to be without any friends, no matter what sins they commit.” “What about Discord?” “Well…” Twilight pulled her foreleg away. “I do want to be friends with him, but he’s a little too…” “Annoying?” Sunset finished. The purple alicorn nodded her head. “Yeah.” “But anyway,” Starlight cut in. “If you want, Sunset, me and Twilight could come with you to Canterlot.” “Really?” Sunset looked at her with surprise. “Why not? I haven’t been there before and it’ll be a great opportunity to have a look around.” “Well…” the yellow unicorn thought for a moment before a smile slowly crept onto her mouth. “I don’t see why not.” she looked over at the alicorn princess standing with them. “What about you, Twilight?” “I’d love to go with you.” Twilight smiled. “And I can even teleport us to save time and-” Knock knock knock! Her speech was interrupted by the faint knocking from the front doors to the castle. “Excuse me for a moment.” She lit up her horn and teleported down to the doors as she used her magic to open them, revealing none other than Meadow Brook. “Hi Twilight.” he smiled at her before bowing. “Hi Meadow. You don’t have to bow, you know.” she said as he rose back to his full height and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but I was wondering if you could show me something.” “What is it?” “Can you show me the Tree of Harmony?” She was a little surprised by his question. “You want to see the Tree of Harmony?” “I do.” Meadow nodded. “I know this is sudden and a little surprising for you, but I’m really curious about it. I heard someone briefly mentioning it when I was on my way to Sweet Feather Sanctuary and I thought I’d ask you about it.” Twilight studied him for a moment. While she felt like she could trust him in showing where the Elements of Harmony are stored, she felt as if there were another reason going on; something that she should feel concerned for. Nevertheless, he was new in Ponyville and was just an ordinary Pegasus stallion, not a villain with a sinister plot. She smiled at him and said, “I don’t see any harm in showing you the Tree, but you have to promise not to tell anypony where it is or anything about it.” “I promise.” Meadow said as he made a crossing motion across his chest. “Good. Just give me a moment and I’ll be back out.” Twilight said as she opened the doors further. “You can come in, you know.” The light brown Pegasus obliged as he stepped inside the Castle of Friendship and waited besides the doors. The Princess of Friendship closed them as she lit up her horn and teleported back to where Starlight and Sunset were waiting. “Who was at the door?” asked Starlight. “It was just Meadow.” replied Twilight. “He wants to see the Tree of Harmony and I agreed to take him.” “The what?” Sunset asked in confusion. “The Tree of Harmony. It’s where the Elements of Harmony are being stored.” “Do you think I can see it too?” Twilight thought for a moment. It seemed that Meadow wasn’t the only one who was interested in seeing it, but she trusted Sunset and knew she could keep the Tree a secret. Nodding to herself, she turned to the yellow unicorn. “Of course you can come, Sunset.” Twilight said as she turned to Starlight. “You can come too, Starlight. It’s about time I finally show you the Tree of Harmony too.“ “Alright.” the light purple unicorn said in agreement as the trio lit up their horns and teleported to the front doors, startling Meadow in the process. “It’s good to see you again, Meadow.” said Sunset. “I hope you don’t mind, but Twilight invited me and Starlight to come with you both.” “Hi Sunset, you too Starlight. I don’t mind if you too came along.” said Meadow as he smiled at the two unicorn mares. “Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s get going.” Twilight said as she used her magic to open the doors and stepped outside with the group. She then closed the doors as she led the group through Ponyville and up to the path that led into the Everfree Forest. “I hope nothing attacks us.” said Meadow as the quartet entered the dark and murky woods. “Don’t worry, Meadow. Fluttershy told Twilight and the girls that Discord enchanted the path to prevent any of the creatures in the Everfree from attacking anypony that goes in and out of the forest using the path to his castle.” said Starlight. “Even if a Timberwolf launches at us, it’ll just shatter into a pile of twigs and leaves.” “If you say so.” Meadow said unsurely as they continued down the path. While he used to live near a forest back at his old home, he heard about the Everfree and all its dangers. ‘I hope you’re right.’ he thought to himself, feeling more nervous than ever. “Who do I see coming towards me?” The group stopped their trek as they saw a Zebra trotting up the path towards them. “Zecora!” Twilight exclaimed as she smiled at the witchdoctor. “Greetings, Princess Twilight and Starlight, it’s good to see you both in the morning light.” Zecora smiled at them before looking at a yellow unicorn mare and light brown Pegasus stallion she never saw before. “And who are these two that accompany you?” “I’m Meadow Brook, but you can just call me Meadow.” said Meadow. “And I’m Sunset Shimmer, but you can call me Sunset for short.” added Sunset. “It’s nice to meet you two.” Zecora said as she shook their hooves. “And perhaps you can explain what you’re accompanying the princess and her former student to pursue.” “I’m just showing them the Tree of Harmony.” replied Twilight. “What about you? Where are you going?” “I’m just heading into town to get some more supplies, more herbs and liquids to help me visualize.” said Zecora. “They will help me provide more cures, to those who need medicine oh so pure.” “Well, don’t let us get in your way.” said Meadow as he moved to the side. “Have a nice day.” he paused, realizing that he just said a rhyme without any trouble at all. “I will and I wish the same for you four, and be sure to stop by outside my front door.” Zecora smiled at them as she continued in the opposite direction. “How does she do that?” asked Sunset as the group continued through the Everfree. “I want to know that too.” added Meadow. “I mean, is Zecora some kind of a poet? How does she rhyme like that?” Twilight giggled. “No, and I even wonder how she does that as well. But anyway, we’re almost at the Tree.” They continued along the path until they came into a clearing, revealing the bridge that led to Discord’s castle and the former Castle of the Two Sisters. Meadow and Sunset looked up at the large stony structure in a mixture of awe and slight intimidation. “Why are we out here?” asked Sunset. “Aren’t we going to the Tree of Harmony?” “We are. It’s just down in a small cave in the ravine.” replied Twilight as she went over to the stairs that lead down into the small canyon. The others followed her as they reached the stony surface and went towards a glowing cave not too far away from the stairs. They entered the opening as Sunset and Meadow gasped silently in amazement as they stared up at the crystalline structure of the Tree of Harmony. “Wow.” said Sunset. “I had no idea this ever existed. Why haven’t I ever studied this back in…” her voice trailed off as the obvious answer popped up in her mind. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.” “The Tree of Harmony is so beautiful.” uttered Meadow. “How does it work?” “It’s powered by the Elements of Harmony.” replied Twilight as she flew up to the magical artifacts. “How it sprouted here I unfortunately don’t know. I tried to look into it using the old books in the Castle of the Two Sisters, but I couldn’t find anything no matter how hard I looked.” “Have you ever thought about looking into the books again?” suggest Starlight. “I have, but ever since Discord moved into the Castle of the Two Sisters, I never bothered to ask him for anything out of respect. Plus, I’m not sure what he did with the books after he made the castle his home.” “Then maybe you should ask Celestia about the Tree and see if she knows anything about it.” said Sunset. The Princess of Friendship looked at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. “That isn’t a bad idea actually.” a smile formed on her lips. “And I’m more than certain she’ll have some knowledge on it.” “Then why don’t we go ahead and go to Canterlot.” Starlight said. “Agreed.” Twilight nodded as she looked over at Meadow Brook, who appeared to be lost in a trance as he stared up at the Tree of Harmony. She could’ve sworn she saw his eyes briefly turn a dark shade of red before returning to their usual light brown color. “Meadow?” He snapped out of his trance as he looked to see the three mares staring at him. “O-oh, sorry.” he smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. “The Tree of Harmony’s just a really beautiful tree. I guess I got pretty distracted, huh?” “It’s nothing to apologize for.” Twilight smiled at him. “But we have to get back to Ponyville so that me and the others can go to Canterlot.” The light brown Pegasus’s eyes widened as he looked at her apologetically. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t waste your time.” “It’s no trouble, Meadow. It’s not like we’re in a hurry or anything.” said Starlight. “Starlight's right.” Sunset nodded. “Let’s get going.” The others nodded in agreement as they turned and left the cave. Meadow hung back for a moment as he stole another glance at the Tree of Harmony before following the girls as they went up the stairs and through the Everfree Forest. Soon, they arrived back at Ponyville. “Thanks again for showing me the Tree of Harmony, your highness.” said Meadow as he smiled gratefully at the Princess of Friendship. “And I promise to keep it a secret.” “You’re welcome, and thanks for keeping the Tree a secret.” Twilight smiled at him. “Have a nice day.” “You too, and it was nice seeing you both, Starlight and Sunset.” “It was nice seeing you too, Meadow.” said Starlight. “Same here.” Sunset nodded in agreement as both unicorns followed Twilight back to the Castle of Friendship. Meadow waved after them until they disappeared. Once they were gone, he turned and went towards Sweet Feather Sanctuary. ‘I can’t believe the Tree of Harmony actually exists, and to top it all off, it’s where the Elements of Harmony are being stored.’ he thought to himself as his smile became more of a sinister smile. ‘After all this time, this is where they’ve been hidden.’ His eyes turned dark red for a moment before returning to their natural color as his smile returned to normal and continued towards the animal sanctuary. Discord rested his head on his desk with a tired expression as he listened to Cadence's lecture about love. They’ve been going at this for nearly an hour and he felt as if he were about to fall asleep. Who knew learning like this was so boring? His eyelids began to droop as he sat up and shook his head fiercely. ‘No! I won’t fall asleep. If I do, I’ll never know how to look better than Meadow Brook.’ he thought to himself, determined to not let the dream realm take him away. Unfortunately, his boredom seemed to take a further toll on his attention to the Princess of Love as he let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes. He shook his head again, this time making it longer before stopping and staring straight at Cadence unblinking. As if a sleeping spell had been casted upon him, he felt his eyelids begin to droop as his head slowly began to lower before the chaos lord reached up with his eagle claw and slapped his left cheek. ‘Stay awake, you idiot!’ he snapped to himself. ‘This isn’t the time to act like a bored teenage High Schooler, but the time to act like the adult you are.’ He nearly snickered to himself as a small smile formed on his mouth. ‘Then again, I never was the most mature of males.’ “When you love somepony, you don’t do an endless amount of things to impress them, but actions that mean a lot to them.” lectured Cadence. “When me and Shining Armor started dating, all he did was take me out on a lot of dinner dates and gave me lots of jewelry and love cards…” Her voice was tuned out by Discord as he felt his eyes dropping close and let out a yawn before shaking out of his trance, smiling to himself at how resistant he was being. ‘There’s no way I’ll ever…ever…’ Whatever he was going to think disappeared as he collapsed his head down on his desk without any resistance and closed his eyes, immediately drifting off into a peaceful slumber. He soon found himself in a beautiful meadow surrounded with flowers and fluttering butterflies as he looked down to see that he was sitting on a picnic blanket with a picnic basket in the center of it. A hum of pleasure filled his ears as he turned to his left to see Fluttershy taking a bite of one of his homemade chocolate cupcakes. “Oh Discord, your cupcakes are so good.” she said as she smiled up at him. Discord puffed out his chest in pride. “Why thank you, Fluttershy. Hearing your praise makes my day.” She continued to eat the cupcake at a surprisingly faster pace, impressing the Draconequus. This mare sure did have a gluttonous appetite for his tasty treats, not that he had a problem with it. After finishing, the yellow Pegasus let out a burp as she put a hoof to her mouth and blushed. “Oh, excuse me.” she looked up at her chaotic friend with guilt. Discord laughed. “Oh relax, my dear. You’re excused.” She felt a smile pull at her lips as a butterfly fluttered in front of her and landed on her nose. “Oh, hello there.” she spoke softly, being careful to not startle it off. “Are you looking for any nectar?” The butterfly nodded as more flew over to her, some were even landing on her as she began to giggle. “Oh my, hehe, that tickles. You’re all tickling me.” she said as she fought the urge to squirm. “Really?” Discord looked at her with amusement. “Perhaps they think you’re a flower.” “I-I’m not.” Fluttershy giggled. “Discord, help me.” “Help? But I’m just beginning to enjoy your laughter, my dear.” “Please, make them stop, please!” she begged as her laughter increased two-fold. “Oh, but I fail to see how I can help.” The chaos lord suddenly grew lots of flowers materialized all over his body, completely unknown to him. The butterflies that were tickling Fluttershy flew off of her and onto him instead as she looked at him, finding his flowery body to be both funny and beautiful. “Thank you.” she smiled at him as she began to giggle once more. “What’s so funny?” Discord asked in confusion as he raised an eyebrow at her. “Your body. It’s covered in lots of flowers.” He was even more confused as he looked down at himself, realizing that she was right. Many small flowers of several kinds and types bloomed proudly on his draconic body as they attracted tons of butterflies from around the meadow. “The butterflies like you.” Fluttershy smiled. Discord faked a gasp of shock before grinning at his Pegasus friend. “Why Fluttershy, it appears that you’re right!” “Discord…” “I am quite the attractive Draconequus if I do say so myself, considering I have a lot of ways to charm even the most beautiful of mares like you.” he ended that last part in a purr-like tone as Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane. “Oh…I’m not that pretty.” she mumbled. “Oh please,” Discord scoffed. “You’re a natural beauty, and I’m more than certain you’re more attractive than Celestia.” “Discord.” The yellow Pegasus looked up at him. “Do you…really think I’m…attractive?” “I really do.” Discord smiled warmly at her. She smiled shyly as she looked away from him. “Thank you.” “DISCORD!” The chaos lord’s eyes immediately snapped open as he sat up, startled by the loud echoing call of his voice. He looked to see Cadence standing in front of his desk with a disappointed glare upon her features. “Is the love lesson boring to you, Mr. Lord of Chaos?” she asked in a disapproving tone. “O-of course not.” Discord immediately replied. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.” The Princess of Love looked at it for a moment before saying, “If you say so. But please pay attention and try to get a good night's rest tonight.” “Yes Cadence.” the Draconequus rolled his eyes. “Can you at least tell me what you were dreaming about?” He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you ask?” “Oh, I was just curious. I mean, it’s not everyday I get to have a student only for them to fall asleep.” “If you must know, I was dreaming about spreading some harmless chaos. I was pranking lots of ponies (Celestia Included), turning my humble castle into a new series of hallways to confuse visitors, and all that.” “Then why were you muttering something about Fluttershy?” Discord’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?” “You were talking in your sleep as I was teaching, and I could hear everything you were saying.” Cadence said as she smiled slyly at him. “Is there a reason why you would dream about your first friend?” “It was unintentional.” the chaos lord immediately replied in defense. “I meant to dream about chaos, considering I find it to be very beautiful and attractive.” He internally slapped himself. ‘That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever said.’ “Uh-huh.” Cadence slowly said with a nod, her knowing expression still on her face. “If you think chaos is beautiful like you claim, then why did you say that Fluttershy was more attractive than Celestia?” Discord growled in irritation as he felt his face heat up. “It’s nothing, so drop the look and return to the lesson.” “While I would, I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no.” “And why not?” “Because you-” Her sentence was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a zipper on her mouth as it zipped shut. “If you’re going to say…it, then you’re wrong.” said Discord harshly. “I do not feel anything more towards Fluttershy, so stop bothering me with that silly question.” “Mmm mmm-” Cadence tried to speak but realized that her mouth was zipped shut. She gave him an annoyed look and pointed to her mouth as the chaos lord made the zipper disappear. “Thank you. Anyway, why are you being so in denial?” “I’m not in denial.” Discord huffed. “And you know why I don’t want to love Fluttershy romantically.” “How did you…” the Princess of Love stopped her question. “Nevermind. Anyway, I know you’re immortal and Fluttershy isn’t, but that shouldn’t stop you both from becoming more than just friends.” “Well it has, and I’m not sure that even if and only if I had feelings for her, she would’ve already found her true love, who would obviously not be me.” Cadence thought over his words for a moment. It sounded as if…wait a minute. That’s when it all made sense. “Discord.” she spoke as he looked up at him dead in the eye. “I think I know why you’re hesitant to love Fluttershy.” “To which I don’t.” he said with annoyance. “How many times must I tell you? She and I are just friends.” “You’re afraid she’ll reject you.” The Draconequus froze dead in his tracks as Cadence gave him a look that was a cross between sympathy and comfort, which irked him. “You don’t want Fluttershy to reject you, that’s why you don’t want to be more than friends with her.” the pink alicorn continued in a soft tone. “I may not know if you had any history with romantic relationships, but I do know the fear of rejection when I see it.” Discord remained silent as she continued in a comforting tone and placed a hoof on his paw. “It’s none of my business to know as much as possible about your friendship with Fluttershy, but I know for certain that she won’t reject you if you’re honest with her. If she chooses to remain friends with you, then you’ll have to accept it and move on. But if she reveals she has feelings for you, then what’ll you do?” “Um, well…” the disharmony spirit hesitated before a look of complete neutrality came across his features. “I’ll simply reject her in the nicest and politest ways possible.” “But Discord, listen to me.” Cadence pleaded. “If Fluttershy reveals her feelings for you, just give it a try and see if you both will work out.” “But I don’t want to.” Discord said coldly as he stood up and made his desk and chalkboard disappear. “I don’t love her and never will, and even if she’s in love with me, I’ll simply tell her that I’m fine with us just being friends.” “But don’t you-” “Look, Cadence. I don't want a marefriened. And that’s final.” he said sternly. “I really should’ve rethought about these love lessons.” “But Discord.” the Princess of Love tried, but he disappeared in a flash of light. “Discord!” she called out, hoping he would return, but to no avail. She let out a sigh as she went back to her throne and sat down, hoping that Discord would do the right thing and not make a grave mistake. Meanwhile at the Castle of Chaos, Discord reappeared on his thinking tree, which sprouted out of the grassy lawn in front of his castle upon sensing his presence as he sat down on one of the lower branches and growled in annoyance with a scowl. Visiting Cadence and learning about love was a huge waste of time. And to top it all off, she was comforting and sympathizing him into admitting his feelings. He let out another frustrated growl. ‘Why did I ever agree to do that in the first place?’ he thought angrily. He knew he wanted to learn love after not knowing what it is, but after knowing about it, he began to get teased about…about…having a crush on Fluttershy. The very thought of it caused a shiver to run down his spine as he let out a sigh and gazed around his garden. It had a few candy cane flower patches blooming in some spots around, something that Fluttershy would find to be funny. Fluttershy… An image of the yellow Pegasus formed in his vision as he closed his eyes. She was smiling at him with what was probably the cutest and sweetest smile he’d ever seen on her. Her mane was blowing in the and her pale yellow skin seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. A reluctant smile formed upon his lips as vision Fluttershy giggled at him. It sounded so cute, like the laugh from the angels above. “Oh Fluttershy, you’re so beautiful," he said in his mind. “Why thank you, Discord.” the Fluttershy image smiled at him. “And you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever met.” “I am?” She smiled warmly. “Of course. You’re the most fascinating being I’ve ever had the pleasure of being friends with. You’re funny, caring, gentle, and a really big sweetheart.” Discord’s smile deemed to grow as he felt a weird sensation in his chest. “Well, I have learned from the best.” he said aloud. “Am I really the best?” Image Fluttershy asked shyly. “The best out of all the ponies in the world.” She blushed an adorable shade of pink. “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.” she flew over and embraced him in a hug. While she was just an image, he felt as if he could actually feel her wrapped around his body. “Discord?” He looked down at her with a smile. “Yes, my dear?” “There’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, but I was too nervous to say anything.” “Fluttershy, you can tell me anything, and I promise to not laugh at you.” Image Fluttershy pulled away as she hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Throughout all our time together, you’ve been nothing but one of my favorite friends. You always care about me even during your spare time and never fail at making me laugh.” ‘That is true.’ Discord thought proudly. “I want to continue to do this more often. I want us to do this everyday, that way we can have even more fun and give comfort if we’re ever sad. I…I want us to be more than just friends.” The Draconequus froze. Was she about to do what he thought she was gonna do? Image Fluttershy looked away for a few moments before turning back. “I…I love you.” Discord’s eyes widened. ‘She loves me?’ This had to be some kind of a trick. After all, this was just his imagination. “I know what you’re probably thinking right now, but I really do love you.” continued Image Fluttershy as she gave him a warm look. “I know that I won’t live forever like you, but you can easily make me immortal with your magic so that we can spend all of eternity together.” “Really?” asked the Draconequus. “You actually want to spend an eternity…with me?” The image of the yellow Pegasus flew up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Of course I do, silly.” she giggled at him as she gave him a loving look. “I love you, Discord. I love you with all of my heart.” He felt a tug at his own heart, as if someone had literally touched it in the most loving of ways possible. “Nopony has ever…loved me before.” he said, feeling a lump form in his throat. “Well I do.” Image Fluttershy proudly proclaimed as she embraced him. “I love you.” “I…I…” He looked down at her and felt as if she were the only thing in the universe. She had a heart filled with pure kindness and compassion, something that he admired immensely. Was it really possible for them both to be…lovers? Discord’s eyes snapped open with a gasp. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he took in deep but shaky breaths. He tried to shake away the little story that formed in his mind, but found that he couldn’t shake away the beautiful yellow Pegasus that captured his heart. A brief blink and he could see her flying in front of her before he opened his eyes, no longer seeing her. He felt as if he missed her after being gone for a really long time before blinking again, briefly seeing her again. He wished he could see Fluttershy every day for the rest of her life or even for an eternity. Waking up together as a married couple in bed and spending lots of quiet and affectionate times together. That’s when realization struck him hard, like the lightning on Jupiter. He tried to deny it but found that he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. “I…I…I’m falling in love with her.” he uttered, his voice devoid of any emotion except for one. Disbelief. That’s why he was so jealous of Fluttershy’s friendship with Meadow Brook. He was in love with her. That’s why he was jealous of her friendship with Tree Hugger. He was falling in love with her back then. That’s why he always thought of her. He was in love with her. He sat still on his thinking tree as he lowered his head and ears, his disbelief being replaced with sadness. “A beautiful mare like Fluttershy would never love a freak like me.” Discord mumbled as storm clouds materialized above his castle and remained there, displaying his new sense of gloom and depression. To be continued… Author's Note And there you have it, folks. Our friendly neighborhood Discord has finally realized his feelings for his beloved Fluttershy (which I know is rushed, but when I news Mending Hearts: Fluttercord and Love or Power: Which Will You Choose, Discord quickly caught on to his feelings for Fluttershy and I found that to be perfectly fine). Will she feel the same way? How will Meadow Brook take it if he knows? Stay tuned and find out. I also want to apologize for the wait. I got my driver’s license yesterday and I did a TON of SAT studying, not to mention I was suffering from a writer's block, but I’m back and completed another chapter for you. Expect slower updates with my first day of school tomorrow as a 12th grader. You heard that right, my final year in grade school, and I'll be en route to George Mason University! And let me go ahead and say this: while Fluttercord will be the main shipping in this series, Rarispike/Sparity will be the secondary shopping even though Fluttercord will be the main focus. If you don’t like either shipping, then this story series isn’t the one for you. And Zecora. Whew, rhyming is so hard, and I'm not sure how she does it. She will play a minor role in this story, so if I have any rhyming errors, I sincerely apologize in advance. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, be sure to look at my other stories, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!
