Chapters Chapter 2. Getting to know each other
Cadance dusted everything in her suit in Canterlot tower, making sure that everything was nice and tidy for her guest.
"Are you sure you can take care of him all on you're own? What if he tries to pull something like last time?" Twilight asked her foal sitter.
"If Discord tries to impersonate me again you will know. He certainly doesn't do a very good job at it." Cadance stated, as she glanced at the lord of chaos as he was sitting in her couch.
"Well I'm sorry if I'm not a professional actor." Discord assured.
"Besides, I think I know what to do with him, but you need to trust me, ok?" Cadance assured Twilight, as she gave a quick nod and left the suite to have Cadance tend to Discord.
"You know, this couch feels a lot more comfy in my own skin then in yours. How do you rest in this thing?" Discord asked the princess of love.
"The same way you rest knowing very well you could have stolen my husband." Cadance grimaced.
"Oh don't hold onto such a minor detail! If I did marry Shining Armor I would have signed the divorce papers after I revealed my true self." Discord assured, as he demonstrated by writing in paper while wearing glasses.
"Right.......... Regardless I just want you to know that if there's anything I can do to make you more comfortable you can let me know." Cadance told the chaos spirit.
"Well, you can start by spicing up your room to be a little more lively. I mean would it kill you to decorate this joint with more knickknacks and less lovey-dovey junk?" Discord stated, as he pointed at a photo of Cadance and her husband.
"You know I'm not going to get rid of my most treasured memories, but I could get you some of those 'knickknacks', if you tell me what exactly you want." Cadance stated.
"I only ask for a celling fan, a disco ball, an extra-double cucumber sandwich, a king sized bed, a life sized statue, a-"
As Discord listed on and on the many knickknacks he requested, Cadance looked into her savings to see if she had enough money to purchase everything on Discord's menu.
"And a miniature plushie of yours truly." Discord finished adding to the list.
"I'll see if I can purchase everything on the list. In the meantime, you make yourself comfortable while I'm gone." Cadance told the lord of chaos, as she left the suite to shop for Discord's requested knickknacks.
"Bye bye! Have a nice time! Everything is fine here bye bye....... Bye bye.............." As Discord shut the front door, he began scheming to himself.
"That little love bird doesn't know it, but I have her wrapped around my talons. Hah ha! She'll lose it when she spends five more MINUTES with me." Discord plotted, as he begun to sat on the couch and eat pages from Cadance's books.
Chapter 1. An unusual task
Twilight and her friends sat at a table outside a restaurant in Canterlot, waiting for Princess Celestia to arrive with a "very important guest".
"I wonder why the princess invited us for an important job if we're just waiting for her." Rainbow Dash yawned.
"She's bringing a very important guest. That could be part of it." Twilight told Dash.
"A guest who's important and slow." Dash whined.
"I personally reckon why Celestia made us take the train to Canterlot just to bring the guest to us." Applejack pondered.
"Maybe it's a surprise! Oh I love surprise guests!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Oh it's definitely a surprise alright." The mane six heard a familiar voice behind them, and when they turned around, they saw Princess Cadance with a lamenting face.
"Cadance!" Twilight welcomed her favorite foal sitter as they did their signature dance.
"Sunshine sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hoofs and do a little shake!" They sung, happy to see each other again.
"So are you the very important guest Celestia mentioned?" Twilight asked.
"Not exactly..... In fact, I'm here because I need to see them as well...." Cadance said while looking at the floor.
"Well, who is it?" Twilight asked.
"I'd rather not say." Cadance stated.
"Why not?" Twilight asked her foal sitter.
"I don't think you'd want to know Twilight." Cadance assured.
"Come on! Tell me! Teeeeeeell meeeeeeeeee" Twilight clung to Cadance's knee as if she were still a filly and not a grown mare.
"Fine! It's-" Cadance was about to reveal the name of the guest, until Celestia arrived with a chariot carrying the guest.
Said guest had a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, a snake tail, and happened to be sealed in stone.
"Him........" Cadance answered, as the mane seven gasped in shock.
As Celestia approached the table, Twilight confronted the princess on her unusual decision.
"With all due respect Princess Celestia, HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!?!?!" Twilight yelled, before clearing her throat.
"Your majesty." Twilight added.
"I am aware that the last time Discord was free he created serious havoc." Celestia acknowledged.
"If by serious havoc you mean turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world." Dash stated.
"And tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves." Rarity added.
"And making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place with not a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight! NOT A SINGLE DOLLOP!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"And imprisoning me in the Canterlot caves so he could masquerade as me and brainwash my husband!" Cadance finished.
"Yes I understand, but I have use for Discord's magic if it can be used to serve good instead of evil. This is why I invited you all here, because I believe that you are the ponies who can help him do just that." Celestia explained.
"This will never work! This is a disaster! How will we ever control him?! We're doomed!!!" Spike panicked.
"Need I remind you that you ponies turned him back to stone in the first place?" Celestia commented.
"I suppose we can just use the elements of harmony if it gets out of hoof." Twilight thought out loud.
"We probably need a volunteer to run away to get them, I'll do it!" Spike suggested, as he tried to run off to do just that.
"No need Spike. I have them right here, and I've cast a spell so Discord can't take them and hide them again." Celestia demonstrated, as the elements were shown inside their case.
"Are you sure this is a good idea auntie?...... I mean, he imprisoned me and Twilight...... With no food or water.... I don't know if we can ever-" Cadance was interrupted by Celestia holding her hoof up her chin.
"I understand it will be difficult Cadance, but I wouldn't have called you here as well if I didn't believe you could find good in him." Celestia assured, as Cadance gave away a small smile.
"Now, I must get to Equestria's royal summit. You may release Discord when ready." Celestia stated, as she flew away back to the aforementioned summit.
Then, Twilight and her friends equipped the elements of harmony.
"Ok Ponies, we better keep our elements on at all times. Let's just hope this releasing spell works." Twilight stated.
"Or, let's not." Spike said fearfully, afraid of what could happen if Discord were to do as he pleased.
The mane six then activated the elements as both Spike and Cadance watched, a bit nervous of what could happen.
As the rainbows beamed through the necklaces, the mane six lifted up in the air as they surrounded the statue.
Eventually, cracks began to form around it, as the wings and claws were broken free and able to squirm a bit.
Inevitably, Discord was released once more, as he roared in the air before yawning and stretching his limbs.
"Well, it's about time somepony got me out of that prison block." Discord thanked, as he begun to stretch.
"What a relief!" He said, as he snapped his fingers, causing a nearby bird to grow into a carnivorous vulture.
The ponies plus Spike gasped in shock.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Twilight lashed at the chaos spirit, as he kept stretching.
"Why stretching of course! When you're a creature of chaos stone body suits aren't your typical go to fashion choice." Discord stated, before he snapped his fingers again, causing a butterfly to turn into a giant winged beast as it flew off to terrorize unsuspecting ponies.
"Make that butterfly cute again! Now!" Pinkie demanded, but Discord merely scoffed.
"It's adorable the way it is!" Discord assured, as he pointed to it carrying someponies away to an unknown location as they begged for mercy.
"You know what else is adorable? You ponies truly believe that you can reform me, and you're putting your faith in this one here to make it happen." Discord eyed a magnifying glass at Cadance, as she looked away in disgust.
"It makes me wanna pinch your little horsey cheek." Discord stated, as he pinched Cadance's cheek like a grandma would their grandson.
"How'd you know about that?!" Twilight confronted Discord.
"Being turned to stone doesn't keep me from hearing every word Celestia says, although I admit it makes rolling my eyes a challenge." Discord stated, as he took out his eyeballs and rolled them on the floor into two holes, that manifested into his body.
"Well unless you want us to turn you back to stone, you'll zap those animals back the way they were pronto!" Twilight threatened the spirit of disharmony.
"Oh you wouldn't dare turn me back to stone and risk disappointing your PRECIOUS, PRINCESS." Discord mocked with scorn.
"Try us, Dip-cord!" Dash mocked the Draconequus.
"You think you can treat poor defenseless animals like that and get away with it?!" Fluttershy snapped at the lord of chaos.
"You go Fluttershy!" Dash praised.
"You better watch you're step buster! Or I'll give you, THE STARE." Fluttershy threatened.
"The stare! No not that! Please! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs!" Discord "begged", before laughing in hysterics over Fluttershy's threat.
Then, Fluttershy fulfilled her promise.
"Oh no! No no no stop! No no! I can't take it!" Discord "Pleaded", as Fluttershy kept using the stare on him.
"Stop! I can't take it anymore! I'll do whatever you say! Because............... You're hilarious!" Discord mocked and laughed, as he was immune to the effects of Fluttershy's stare.
"If it turns out we need to use our elements against you, I'm sure we can convince Princess Celestia it was for a good reason." Twilight threatened, as Discord gave a slight groan.
"I suppose that's correct." Discord admitted, as he snapped his fingers, causing the vulture to turn back into a harmless bird, and the butterfly to grow small and harmless again as the ponies it was carrying fell into a pin cushion safely.
Discord held his hands in the air, before his snake tail formed fingers and snapped them, causing several ladybugs to grow fangs and buzz in the air to do Celestia knows what.
"Oopsie."
Discord, with a sigh, then teleported next to Cadance.
"Well, I think I know where I'll be crashing while I'm being 'reformed', with YOU, Princess Mi amore Cadenza." Discord mocked while holding her in a tight squeeze while laughing maniacally.
"Oh no....." Cadance said, as she knew she was going to have a rough time....
Cadance returned from her shopping trek, and was horrified to discover that Discord had re-arranged everything in her room to be upside down.
Discord, hanging from the celling, finished devouring a page from one of Cadance's books.
"Are you sure this isn't overdoing it? You said to make myself comfortable while you were gone but I wouldn't want to overstep my bounds." Discord explained to the princess of love.
"I did say that......... And if this makes you more comfortable, then by all means, feel free." Cadance assured the chaos spirit.
"Oh, well it does, very much so. You're so kind Princess Cadance, I understand why YOU are the princess of love, and not that nasty husband of yours." Discord told the love princess, as he teleported next to her.
"Shining Armor isn't nasty!" Cadance defended.
"Well of course! You say that, yet he seemed to think it was a good idea to not tell his little sister that he was getting married in person, and he thought it was appropriate to ban her from the wedding just for trying to protect him from something she felt wasn't right for him...... Not to mention he isn't all that pleasing in bed." Discord snidely remarked, as Cadance stared at him with a disgusted look on her face.
"But, I think I can say for certain that Celestia was right when she singled you out as the one who can reform me. You're off to such a good start I'm seriously considering actually being reformed." Discord explained to the pink Alicorn princess.
"And why should I take your word for it?" Cadance asked Discord.
"Well you're letting me be me! If being reformed means I can do things like this all day I would gladly accept the offer." Discord stated.
"Well then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I arranged a dinner for you, me, and Twilight and her friends. To see how much you've improved." Cadance offered the Draconequus.
"A dinner? With all six of them here? Oh I don't know about that I'd have to see if my schedule isn't full and get everything ready and-"
"If you are really considering being reformed, you'll prove it." Cadance told Discord.
"Hmm, and what if your friends don't trust me? What if they try to petrify me regardless if I do anything 'bad' or not?" Discord asked Cadance.
"They won't if they trust me. Believe me, all you need to do is try your best. As long as you put in the effort, they won't bite, I promise." Cadance assured Discord, who stared at her with reconsideration and concentrated thinking.
"Hmm, very well." Discord accepted the offer.
"I'll even clean up this mess, so you don't have to do any extra work." Cadance assured him.
"Really? You're going to clean up all of this?" Discord asked.
"Indeed, it will only take a couple minutes." Cadance assured, as Discord raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Ok....... Or, a couple hours......." Cadance sheepishly acknowledged.......
Chapter 4. A "relaxing" dinner
Twilight and her friends made their way to Cadance's suite after being messaged to visit by mail.
"Ugh! I can't believe we're gonna be having a dinner party with DISCORD." Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Cadance believes this is the best way to reform Discord and asked us to give it a chance." Twilight assured Dash, as they made their way to the front door.
"Oh, our pony guests." Discord welcomed, as his tongue rolled onto the floor and turned into a red carpet, as Discord teleported next to the ponies dressed as a waiter.
"We're so delighted that you've come. Please, do come in." Discord insisted, as the ponies plus Spike stepped into the suite.
"As you can see, Discord decorated an entire table to be appropriate for this little gathering. Isn't that wonderful?" Cadance asked Twilight and her friends.
"May I take your......... Hats, ladies?" Discord asked, as he tried to take Twilight's crown before Twilight stepped out of the way.
"Hang onto your elements girls, it's gonna be a bumpy night." Twilight warned, as they sat at the table to feast.
"Now, who'd like some gravy?" Cadance asked.
"Oh! Me me me!" Pinkie Pie jumped at the opportunity.
"Allow me." Discord assured, as the gravy boat sprung to life and galloped over to Pinkie to pour her gravy like an excited puppy.
"Oh what a cute little gravy boat you are! Yes you are!" Pinkie adored the boat animated to life by Discord's magic.
"That's one creepy little gravy boat if you ask me." Dash sneered.
"Really now Dashie? Princess Cadance is requesting us to give this a chance. Be a little more respectful." Fluttershy scolded.
"Well All I'm saying is that-" Dash was suddenly cut off when the gravy boat poured onto her seat.
"HEY! That's hot!" Dash winced in pain.
"Whoops! How did that happen?" Discord "Wondered".
"He did that on purpose!" Dash pointed an accusatory hoof at the Draconequus.
"Oh I don't know about that, mistakes happen. Oh, look! Everypony! Dancing candles." Discord tried to distract everypony from the tension.
However, Dash merely blew out the candles in defiance.
"I'm not falling for that! Discord's just trying to distract us from-" Dash was suddenly assaulted by the candles.
"Hey! Knock it off! I suppose that's another mistake?!" Dash accused Discord.
"Umm, no. I think you just made them mad." Discord excused.
"Cadance can't you see what he's doing?! He's playing innocent with you so you'll defend him if we ever tried to use the elements of harmony against him!" Dash stated as she bucked the candles away from her.
"Oh yeah? You want to know what I see? I see that Discord is far from perfect, but I also see that you are not giving him a chance!" Cadance stomped her hoof in annoyance.
"What's gotten into you?! Why do you keep cutting him so much slack?!" Dash questioned the princess of love, before Cadance grasped Discord with a hug.
"Because that's what friends do." Cadance stated........
Discord, stepped back in confusion..........
"We're friends?........." Discord asked.
"Why of course, I've never had anyone liven my place up like this before." Cadance assured.
"You-.... You want to be friends with ME? After EVERYTHING I've put you through? Why?" Discord asked.
"Because even though you tried to take over my wedding, and you ate my books, and rearranged my house, and told me you slept with my husband, I was able to look past all of that. Because I know that deep down, you've never had someone to call a friend before......" Cadance assured, as Discord looked at her in contemplation.....
'I mean........ She's not wrong....' Discord thought to himself, as he looked at Cadance with a slight grin......
However, Twilight could only hold in a barf, as she just realized that Discord had been in bed with her brother.
But just then, the door swung open to reveal a guard.
"Your highness! There's trouble within the castle! It's being attacked by ravenous ladybugs!" The guard explained, as Twilight fainted from shock.
"And we all know whose behind THAT now don't we?" Dash accused Discord.
"Who? Me?" Discord played innocent, as a halo appeared on his head.
"Oh give it a rest! What do you think of your friend now?!" Dash lashed out, as she left with her friends to clean up Discord's mess.
Cadance stared at Discord with doubt in her eyes, as Discord looked away with a look of doubt as well........
Chapter 5. What friends are for
The ponies plus Spike arrived at the Canterlot castle, where they saw numerous Ladybugs swarming and devouring the protection shield.
"They are so persistent. I can't keep it up for much longer, and I worry about what will happen once they break through." Shining Armor warned his wife.
"You realize that Discord's behind all this right?!" Dash pestered Cadance.
"Well of course I do! Why else do you think I've been trying to befriend him the best way I can?" Cadance asked the blue Pegasus, who stared at her in confusion.
"I've been trying to get him to trust and listen to me! That is how I plan to reform him." Cadance explained to the ponies plus Spike.
"Hello! Sorry I'm late I was getting some popcorn for the entertainment, so what's up?" Discord asked while sitting on a portable chair.
"As you know, a massive swarm of ladybugs are trying to attack Canterlot." Cadance told the chaos spirit.
"Oh yes, that is terribly awful isn't it?" Discord "pitied", as he chowed down on popcorn.
"It is awful, these are innocent creatures who would never be acting this way if it weren't for YOUR reckless behavior." Cadance stated, as Discord stopped eating to stare at her in doubt.
"You need to fix this." Cadance told Discord, who put his fingers to his chin.
"Oh, yes very well. I will fix it, I simply ask ONE thing in return...." Discord stated.
"Yes?" Cadance agreed to listen to his request.
"I ask that you never use your love for Shining Armor against me." Discord stated, as she looked at her husband with shock.
"Oh, and tell your friends not to use those deadly elements either, which I guess makes two things if you think about it....." Discord pondered, as Twilight and her friends looked shocked as well.....
"As a sign of our friendship." Discord stated, as Cadance looked at her husband and Twilight's friends, who shook their heads telling her not to accept............
...........................
"I will never let anything happen to you that could turn you to stone." Cadance promised, as her husband and Twilight's friends gasped.
"Excellent!" Discord exclaimed, as he snapped his fingers, causing a flash of light momentarily....
"THERE! Much better! Chocolate pudding is a much better flavor then BUBBLEGUM, wouldn't you agree?" Discord asked, as he had turned the shield into chocolate pudding, allowing the bugs to devour it much faster.
"DISCORD!!! That's not fixing it!" Cadance yelled at the lord of chaos.
"Oh Kay-Kay do lighten up, just relax and enjoy some of this delicious chocolate pudding with me." Discord requested, as he manifested a spoon and fork.
"Come on dear! We can fix everything ourselves!" Shining Armor stated.
"He fixes this or he goes back to being stone! Princess Celestia will understand!" Twilight told her foal sitter, as Cadance stared at Shining and Discord with doubt in her eyes, before she took a deep breath...................
"I made a promise not to let Discord turn back to stone and I'm going to keep it..." Cadance stated, as she reluctantly took the spoon and fork from Discord's claws.
All of the ponies plus Spike could only gasp in shock and horror over Cadance's decision.
"HAH HA! You see?! She wants to have fun with me because, WE'RE FRIENDS. She can't blast me with lovey doveyness because, WE'RE FRIENDS. I'm free FOREVER! HAH HA HA!!!" Discord laughed in triumph, before Cadance growled with fury.......
"NOT, YOUR, FRIEND!!!" Cadance lashed out, as she threw the spoon and fork onto the ground in anger.
"Who cares?! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm Discord! The master of chaos!" Discord exclaimed, as he teleported next to Cadance.
"You think you get to boss Discord around? You think I'm just going to turn all this back because YOU say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose the one friend I've ever had?!" Discord exclaimed, as the realization suddenly STRUCK him like a ton of bricks........
"Oh............... Oh......." Discord suddenly realized the ramifications of what he did, as he stared at the spoon and fork that laid on the ground.................
"Well played Cadance............ Well played.........." Discord admitted with genuine tears in his eyes, before crossing his arms in despair, as he unleashed a wave that turned the chocolate pudding back into a shield, and reversed the ladybugs carnivorous desires.....
Everyone cheered for Cadance's ability to find goodness in Discord, as he teleported next to them.
"I liked it better my way but, I guess when you're friends you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?"
Chapter 6. Let bygones be bygones
"Yes Princess, I'm ready to use my magic for good instead of evil........... Most of the time......" Discord muttered under his breath, as he bowed in front of Celestia.
"Congratulations on your success ponies, and especially to you Cadance, for managing to see the good in Discord." Celestia thanked her niece, who smiled in return.
"I'll leave the elements of harmony with you Twilight, just in case." Celestia whispered to the purple unicorn, as Discord perked up, trying to grasp if he heard that correctly.
"You were right when you made the decision to have Cadance be the one to reform Discord. By treating Discord as a friend, she got him to realize that friendship was actually important to him. And once something he knew he had, he didn't want to lose." Twilight explained to Celestia, as Discord gave Cadance a warm smile.
"Now that your job is finished, you care to enjoy the rest of our honeymoon dear?" Shining Armor asked his wife.
"You know I'd love to dear." Cadance assured, as she nuzzled her husband.
"Ehh! Gag! Get a room you two! Why don't we do something more fun like ski diving instead? Or wall climbing?" Discord asked, as everyone else simply rolled their eyes and chuckled as Cadance and Shining kept nuzzling each other.
"Does anypony ever think about what the repentant Draconequus wants?!"
The end
