Discord 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!