A Tale of Discord and Dinky

by Yukito

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dinky Hooves, Discord, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5293

Discord and Dinky become friends.

A mysterious Unicorn frees Discord from his stone prison, feeling sorry for the beast being trapped alive for all eternity. However, this comes at the cost of the draconequus losing his chaotic powers.

Whilst dying in the Everfree forest, Discord is found by the filly known as Dinky Hooves, who decides to nurse him back to health.

WARNING: This story contains a dangerous lack of Trixie. Read at your own risk!

Inspiration for this story was the Rin meeting Sesshomaru scene from Inuyasha. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo5Fm8VQD2k)

Published 2012-11-10 22:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-10 22:40:02 UTC

A Tale of Discord and Dinky

A silent chill ran through the air, passing by the night guard on duty in the Canterlot Royal Sculpture Garden. Being trained to detect and react to enemy threats in an instant, he quickly turned around, just in time to see the hoof flying at his face, before it knocked him unconscious.

“Pathetic. This is the Princess’ Royal Guard? Well, I guess it works out for me in the end.”

The mysterious Unicorn approached the statue in front of her. It was the famed statue of Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, the being feared and detested by everypony in Equestria… Everypony, save one. One who, instead, felt pity and sympathy for the poor being, trapped for eternity in a stone husk.

“So, this is the Princess’ answer. She doesn’t even show you the kindness of death… You can still hear me in there, can’t you? Poor soul. I shall free you from your imprisonment…”

The Unicorn’s horn began to light up, and was soon joined by the left side of the statue’s chest. A small crack began to form, and a faint whisper could be heard along the breeze. “But be warned: this freedom comes at a price. Your chaotic powers will be stripped from your body, and your immortality shall be severely lessened. Though you will not age, you will still be more susceptible to death than you used to be.

“I grant you this chance at life because I feel for you, but how you spend it is up to you. Please do not waste this gift that I bestow upon you… And whatever happens, never forget… There is always a reason to keep moving forward.”

The entire statue was glowing by this point, and cracks had formed all along the body, and were spreading the arms and legs.

“Be free, child of Faust.”

Discord trudged the thick foliage of the Everfree forest, panting for breath and cursing Celestia’s name every time he looked back. “Darn it… While I appreciate being free, this isn’t what I had in mind if I were to ever escape that stone prison again…”

Discord took a moment to stop and catch his breath, though it would only be a moment, as the pursuing basilisks would soon jump out of the trees, and let loose their terrifying screech that signalled their imminent attack. “Curses! Why did I choose to come this forest, anyway?”

It was pointless to ask himself that, since he already knew full well why he was there. Even if he was free, he was stripped of all of his chaotic magic, and he knew that it wouldn’t be long before Celestia noticed he was out and about again. “This forest is the safest place in all of Equestria while I plan my next move… And of course I would happen upon a basilisk nesting ground!”

He slowed down when he felt his legs becoming heavier with each step, and was eventually forced to stop when his lungs felt like they were on fire. “And this new mortality is rather inconveniencing…” He turned around to see the basilisks slowly approaching him, and prepared himself for the inevitable… “Huh?”

Instead of attacking him, the basilisks suddenly turned around, and began fleeing as quickly as they could. Confused, but relieved, Discord wiped his brow and unleashed a long, heavy breath. “What could have scared them away? Did they finally see who they were messing with?” he asked himself with a smug grin, before a more terrifying hypothesis presented itself to him. “… Or maybe…”

He turned around, slowly, and saw that his theory was correct; standing before him, in all of its glory, was a beast able to scare off an entire pack of pissed off basilisks. An ursa minor. “Oh, horseapples.”

The ursa let loose a loud, spine-chilling roar, and before Discord could respond in any way, raised its claw, ready to attack.

Dinky skipped merrily through the Everfree forest, holding a basket of muffins in her mouth. She was on her way to visit Zecora, the zebra who lived in the Everfree forest, to deliver the basket of muffins from Apple Bloom.

She made sure to stick to the path, well lit by the sunlight poking through the tops of the trees. ‘It’s really pretty out here. No wonder Miss Zecora likes to live in the forest.’

A bright light in the corner of her eye caught Dinky’s attention, and she stopped and turned her head to the side to check it out. “Hm? What was that?” she asked herself, though it was slightly muffled due to her holding the basket in her mouth. The light shone again, and this time, Dinky’s curious nature got the better of her, causing her to step towards it to see what it was.

Discord groaned as he lay against a tree in the Everfree forest, using his magic to try to remove the piece of wood piercing his leg. “OW!” he shouted as the slightest budge sent waves of pain throughout his entire body. “Great,” he said sarcastically, “I’m alive, but what’s the point, when I can’t even move? At this rate, I’m gonna get eaten by nightfall, and it’s not like I can call for help…” Discord sighed, and tried again… Only to be met with the same result.

“I guess… I may as well just try to get some sleep. If I’m gonna die, might as well be in peace.”

He closed his eyes, and felt himself drift off into the realm of dreams… Before he was interrupted by the sounds of something approaching… ‘Hoofsteps!’

Discord’s eyes shot open, startling the purple filly that stood before him. She stopped in her tracks, and simply stared at the downed draconequus for a while. Finally, Discord’s patience ran out. “What?” he asked, venom seeping out of his voice as he spoke. “If you’re just going to gawk, then take a picture and leave. This is no place for a filly like you.”

Dinky considered leaving for a second, but took another look at the being before her, and changed her mind when she saw how bad his condition was. Steeling her nerves, she lowered her basket to the ground, and cautiously approached Discord. When he showed no signs of violent reaction, she sped up her approach.

Discord simply watched with curiosity as the filly looked over his wounds, a look of worry on her face. ‘Worry? Why does she look worried? Doesn’t she know who I am? I’m Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and… Well, guess I’m not anymore.’

Dinky quickly galloped out of the woods, leaving Discord all alone once again. “Ah, she must have gone to tell somepony. Of course. Well, guess an angry mob can’t be much worse than a timberwolf or something… Right?”

About half an hour later, the filly returned, this time carrying a box in her mouth. Discord raised his eyebrow when he saw the white box, with a symbol on it. It looked to be a red plus sign, but he had no idea what it could mean.

Dinky approached the draconequus, and lowered the box to the ground. She looked at him with that same worried look from earlier, but this time, he ignored it. “… Fine, get it over with. Whatever you’re planning…”

Dinky nodded, and opened her box. Discord looked away whilst he waited for whatever torture awaited him. He felt a sharp pain on his right leg, and turned around to see what she was doing.

“… What?” he asked, as he saw the filly wrapping a bandage around his leg. He cringed and let out a pain yelp as she tugged the bandage one last time, and that worried look returned to the filly’s face.

“I’m sorry,” she said, immediately causing Discord to focus all of his attention on her. “I couldn’t bring a doctor or a nurse here, so I’ll have to do this myself… I’m not very good at stuff like this, so I’m sorry if it hurts…”

Discord stared at the filly in disbelief. ‘That’s what she’s worried about? She’s worried that she might hurt me?’ He immediately shook the crazy thought from his head. ‘No! It has to be a trick!’

“Little filly,” he said, “Don’t you know who I am?”

Dinky nodded nervously, before beginning work on applying another bandage to Discord, this time on his right arm. “You’re Discord… The monster who almost turned Equestria into a land of chaos, and who made many ponies very sad.”

“Then why are you helping me?” Discord asked, knowing for sure that the answer would be something like “so I can make you suffer more later”, or something to that regard.

“Because you’re hurt,” she said, shocking the draconequus into silence. She finished applying the second bandage, and got to work on applying the third, this one slightly below the second one. “Mommy says that happiness should be extended to all ponies. And that those who hold grudges can never truly be happy themselves.”

Discord scoffed at the filly’s story. “Your mother must be a real idiot, then.”

Dinky frowned at the insult, but didn’t stop applying the bandage to Discord… Though she may have started being a bit more rough whilst doing it. “She’s not an idiot,” Dinky said, looking up to meet Discord’s eyes. “And even if she didn’t say all that, I still would’ve helped you… Because…”

“… Because?”

“… You looked so sad.”

The two remained silent for the duration of the treatment of Discord’s wounds, the only noises escaping either of them being an occasional pained yelp from the draconequus, and an apology from the filly in response to each yelp.

Dinky approached the draconequus with a smile on her face. She was no longer nervous about meeting with Discord, having visited him for three days now, and learning that he really isn’t that hostile.

She looked over at the plate of food that she had left for him, and frowned when she saw that he had once again left it untouched. Not a single pear, apple, lettuce, or muffin had been eaten.

“You have to eat if you wanna get better,” she said as she sat down next to Discord. “How are you feeling today?”

“…”

“Are you still in pain?”

“…”

Dinky leaned over and poked one of Discord’s bandaged wounds, causing him to yelp and spin around to face the filly quickly.

“What are you doing!?” he shouted, glaring at Dinky as she pulled back and cowered slightly at Discord’s rage. He noticed that the filly was covered in cuts and scratches, and felt his rage subside. “What happened?”

Dinky looked up at Discord with a confused look on her face. “You’re injured. What happened?”

Dinky looked over herself, and then back up at Discord. “I got scared by this strange creature in the woods, and fell down a hill trying to run from it.” She smiled at Discord reassuringly. “It’s fine. I have accidents all the time.”

Discord remained silent for a moment, staring down at the filly with a serious look on his face… Something rare for him to do. He then reached bear paw forward, and grabbed one of the muffins on the plate beside him. Dinky simply watched as he devoured the entire thing in one go.

“There, I ate. Now go home,” he said sternly. “And stop coming here. It’s too dangerous for a weak little pony like you.”

Dinky’s ear drooped, and her face fell. “But I-”

“I can take care of myself,” he said, cutting her off. “Now go. Go play with your little friends or something.”

“… Okay,” she said dejectedly, before getting up and slowly making her way out of the forest.

Once she was gone, Discord lifted up another muffin, and took a bite out of it, this time actually tasting it before swallowing. “… Not bad. Still, nothing beats chocolate-filled cotton candy clouds…” Discord sighed, and attempted to conjure up even the slightest bit of chaos. As expected, nothing happened. He went back to eating his muffin in silence.

“I told you not to come here anymore,” Discord said with annoyance clear in his voice. He kept his eyes closed as hoofsteps approached from nearby. “I’m trying to sleep. Go away.”

“I brought some chocolate milk,” Dinky said, causing Discord’s eyes to snap open quickly. When his face turned into a disappointed frown at the lack of chocolate milk, Dinky broke out into laughter.

“Stop that,” he said with a scowl. “Before I remove your horn from your head.”

Despite Discord’s warning, Dinky didn’t stop laughing. And despite her continued laughter, Discord didn’t remove the filly’s horn. How could he, when his chaotic powers no longer existed?

When Dinky finally calmed down, she opened up her first aid box, and took out a few bandages.

“Your parents don’t ask where you’re going every day?” Discord asked. Dinky tilted her head at his sudden question. “I’m not concerned, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just curious.”

Dinky smiled, and began changing the draconequus’ bandages. “I just tell mommy that I’m playing with friends, and daddy’s not really around that much, anyway.”

“I see… And they don’t question the food and first aid stuff you keep bringing to me?”

Dinky shook her head. “I… Don’t tell them that I’m taking it. I just… Sort of sneak it past them…”

Discord grinned at the little filly. “Oh, so you’re a thief, eh? And what if you get caught?”

Dinky slowed down a little bit. “I didn’t have any choice.”

“Thieves are bad ponies, y’know? When you take something that belongs to somepony else, you’re betraying that pony’s trust. And when you break somepony’s trust, it’s not easy to get it back.”

Dinky stopped completely, and Discord chuckled menacingly as he looked down at her. ‘I’ve still got it.

“I’ll apologize later,” she said, resuming her work, much to Discord’s surprise. “I know it was wrong of me, but there was no other choice. If I hadn’t done it, you would still be hurting right now.”

‘If I was still alive,’ Discord thought to himself. “You didn’t think to at least ask for the stuff?”

“And if they found out it was for you…” Dinky looked up at Discord with a smile. “Daddy says that, sometimes, you have to pick the lesser of two evils for the greater good.”

“Some father figure,” Discord said sarcastically. He then examined Dinky closely, looking for the slightest hint of body having turned grey. ‘What’s going on?’ he wondered. ‘Nopony’s ever resisted my chaotic influence. It’s not magic, but… Could that have been stripped from me, too? Great!’

“You smell,” Dinky said, cringing as she leaned closer to Discord to reach the wound on his chest. “When’s the last time you took a bath?”

“A thousand years ago,” Discord answered. Dinky looked as if she waiting for the punch line. “Seriously. I was sealed for a thousand years, y’know?”

“Oh, right… How is your leg?” Dinky asked, trying to change the topic. “Shouldn’t we try to pull that thing out?”

“That would be painful,” Discord said. “I don’t like pain.”

“So you’re just going to stay here for the rest of your life?”

“Sounds like a plan. Not like there’s anywhere else I can go. Not when the whole of Equestria is my enemy.”

Dinky looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe if you apologized to everypony, they’d forgive you? Mommy says that forgiveness is one of the most important things in the world.”

Discord laughed at the filly’s idea, and then shook his head. “Somehow, I don’t quite think that would work. Ruining ponies’ lives is a little different from taking a few muffins without permission.”

“But everypony makes mistakes,” Dinky said. “If you just stop spreading chaos, why should anypony care about what you used to do?”

“Unfortunately, the world doesn’t quite work that way. I chose my fate long ago, and I’m content with it.”

“You’ve already healed, Discord,” Dinky said after removing the last bandage from Discord’s body. It felt strange to say his name for the first time in the eight days that she’d been treating him. “Well, except for that last piece of wood in your leg.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that… So, does this mean you’ll stop bothering me now?”

Dinky thought about it for a second. “Are you going to remove the wood?”

Discord shrugged. “Probably not. Like I said, I’m not a fan of pain.”

“Then I’m not going to stop ‘bothering you’,” Dinky said with a smile on her face. “If I did, you wouldn’t have anything to do, right?”

“Why did you spread chaos across Equestria?”

Discord looked at Dinky with a look that told her it was obvious why, but when she looked back with an expectant gaze, he actually put some thought into his answer. “Well, I guess because I thought that this world could do with a bit more excitement.”

“That’s all?”

“Don’t really need much more of a reason than that. Ponies form communities because it makes them happy, and I spread chaos for the same reason.” Discord sighed, and looked up to the sky, which was barely visible through the treetops. “Or at least, I used to spread chaos… Now who knows what I’ll do? Not really much point in being free if it means losing my powers.”

Dinky didn’t quite understand what he meant, but nodded along anyway. “Well, there’s lots of other stuff you can do… Like making friends, or playing fun games with ponies, or just talking to your friends, or-”

“Anything that doesn’t involve other ponies?”

Dinky put a hoof to her chin. “Um… Sleeping?”

“I can do that right here.”

“You could stargaze.”

Discord scoffed and turned his head to the side. “And give that loudmouth Luna some attention? Yeah right.”

Dinky rolled her eyes and offered an apple to Discord. He shook his head, so she ate it instead. “You really don’t like hanging out with others, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” he said flatly.

“But you don’t mind me?”

Discord shot a glare at the filly. “You don’t really give me much choice. You never leave me alone.” Dinky giggled. “Stop that.” Dinky giggled more, causing Discord to turn away in order to hide his smile. ‘Maybe I should do something about this piece of wood in my leg. I’m clearly going insane just sitting around here.’

Discord groaned as he felt the rain pouring down on him. Usually, he would just make the rain disappear, or conjure up an umbrella or something. But without his chaotic powers, he was forced to just sit there and allow himself to become soaked by the falling rain.

“I guess Dinky won’t be coming today,” he said to himself, trying not to sound disappointed. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s only a matter of time until she finally comes to her senses and stops coming to see me altogether, anyway.”

A rustling in the bushes startled the draconequus for a moment, and he quickly readied his magic in case a monster suddenly attacked. When he instead heard the sounds of hoofsteps approaching, he lowered his guard and looked towards the bushes with an incredulous look on his face.

“Really? You’re coming out to see me in this weather? Look kid, I appreciate the thought, but-”

“Is somepony there?” a voice that definitely wasn’t Dinky’s called out. In fact, Discord knew whose voice that was… It was one that haunted him ever since he was last sealed in stone. “Dinky? Are you there?”

From out of the bushes, emerged a purple Unicorn mare, who stopped in her tracks immediately upon seeing Discord. Discord stared at her with a calm expression, though he couldn’t deny the cold chill that was running down his spine. “Uh… Hi there, Twilight. Been a while, huh?”

Twilight’s eye twitched as she stared at Discord, until finally, she lowered her head, and charged magic into the tip of her horn. “YOU! H-How did you escape?! What are you doing here?! I won’t let you spread chaos across Equestria again!”

Discord raised his hands and tried not to show his fear. “Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Twiley!”

“Don’t call me that!” she growled.

“Fine, Twilight, whatever! Look, I’m not here to spread chaos again! As much as I’d like to, I can’t right now!”

“And I should just believe you?!” Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw a familiar bag by Discord’s side. “What have you done with Dinky?”

Discord followed her gaze to the bag, and then looked back at her. “What d’you mean? The little brat’s probably at home right now. She left this bag here yesterday.”

“Lies! The entire town is out searching for her!” Twilight said, shocking Discord into silence. “She never came back yesterday… You did something to her, admit it!”

Discord stumbled for words for a moment, and only found his voice again when a warning shot was fired from Twilight’s horn. “ANSWER THE QUESTION!”

“I didn’t do anything to her! And if she’s missing, it’s her fault for coming out here in the first place. I told her not to come, but did she listen? Noooo!”

Twilight was about to fire another shot, when a scream suddenly echoed through the air. “What was that?” Twilight asked as she listened intently for another sound. This time, there was a cry for help. “DINKY!”

Twilight was about to gallop off after the filly, but remembered the draconequus sitting in front of her. She was conflicted now. She knew that she had to go and save the little filly, but she couldn’t just let Discord get away.

“That brat! I told her this place was dangerous!” Discord said, groaning as he tried to lift himself up. The sharp pain in his leg reminded him of why he couldn’t move, and he let out a defeated sigh as he sat back down. “… Hey, you.”

“What?” Twilight asked, panic spreading across her face as she tried desperately to think of a solution to her problem.

“Pull this darn thing out of my leg would ya?” Twilight stopped panicking, and examined the draconequus’ leg. “I can’t exactly move like this, y’know?”

Twilight slowly approached Discord, taking extreme caution so as to not fall into one of his traps. “… You can’t pull it out yourself?”

“I no longer have my chaotic powers, so removing it is a bit rough… And…”

“… Yes?”

“… I don’t like pain,” he said, his face turning slightly red as he said that. “Look! Just hurry up already! I can’t pull it out myself because my willpower isn’t strong enough, so I need somepony else to do it for me!”

Twilight stared at Discord disbelievingly. “And why should I do that? If you can’t move, that works out great for me! I can go find Dinky, and then-”

“Do you even know how you’ll find her?” Discord asked. “Or what you’ll do if she’s being attacked by monsters?”

Twilight thought for a moment, and realised that the screaming was getting quieter. “But… I can’t trust you! You’ll just teleport away or something the moment I free you!”

Discord groaned and rolled his eyes. “Fine! Make your decision: trust me or not! But you’d better hurry, because I don’t think Dinky’s gonna last much longer!”

Twilight whimpered as she ran the scenario through her brain, and examined Discord’s face, hoping for even the slightest hint that he was telling the truth. “… Okay… Fine, I’ll do it,” she said, focusing her magic on the piece of wood. “Now this’ll hurt a bit, and you’ll start bleeding badly after it’s out. I don’t know much medical magic. Do you have anything to stop the bleeding?”

“I can do that,” Discord said. “My chaos magic is gone, but I can still use regular magic. And I’m quite good at it, if I do say so myself,” he said with pride as he smiled. “Now hurry it up already!”

Twilight smiled, and closed her eyes as she used her magic to pull out the piece of wood. Discord screamed the moment it started to budge, and Twilight had to flatten her ears against her head to block out the sounds. Even if it was Discord, the shrieks of pain he was unleashing chilled her to her very core.

The wood was finally removed, and Discord had to focus all of his willpower to use his magic on his now-open wound, closing it quickly. It was a rush job, so it would need time to heal, and the wound itself was probably infected by now. But for now, it would do.

“Now, take me to where Dinky is,” Twilight said, but Discord instead focused his magic and teleported away. “H-Hey!” Twilight yelled, before she heard another scream from Dinky. “… Oh, darn it! I’ll focus on saving Dinky for now, and then I’ll let Princess Celestia know that Discord is back!”

Dinky watched in horror as three timberwolves approached her, each one preparing to attack. The one in the middle let out a howl, and pounced forward. She closed her eyes and prayed for somepony to save her.

“Well, well… Looks like a part, but I wasn’t invited!”

Dinky snapped her eyes open and looked forward at the source of the voice, to see a draconequus standing before her, holding three flailing timberwolves in his magic. “D-Discord?”

“I’ll deal with you later, filly!” he shouted sternly, causing her to flinch. “Now then, little timberwolves… How to deal with you? Maybe I should burn down your nesting grounds…”

Dinky gasped, and rose to her hooves quickly. “No-”

“Or snap off your legs?”

“Don’t-”

“Or maybe I could-”

“JUST LET THEM GO!” Dinky shouted, breathing heavily afterwards. “Please, don’t hurt them… Just let them go…”

Discord turned his head to face Dinky with a look of confusion. “Why not? They were just mere moments away from killing you, so why are you-”

“You turned all of Equestria upside down, and ruined many ponies’ lives… But I looked past that, and chose to show you mercy,” Dinky said, tears starting to form in her eyes. “Weren’t you afraid of how the ponies might punish you if you were found? Of what inpony things they might do to you?”

“Well… That’s…”

“Please, Discord… Just let them go. Don’t make them hurt unnecessarily.”

Discord stared at the crying filly behind him, and then turned his attention back to the wolves still in his magical hold. He held up his bear paw, and it glowed a bright golden colour. The wolves stopped flailing, and eventually fell limp. Sensing a question about to come from Dinky, Discord explained his actions. “I put them to sleep. That’s all.”

Dinky sniffled a few times, and then smiled at Discord. “Thank you.”

Discord cleared his throat, and began to walk off. “Well, I’m outta here. You get back to your town.”

“Um…” Dinky shuffled her hooves on the ground. “Is this… Goodbye, then?”

“… Guess so,” Discord said, before stopping and snapping his head to his left. “Who’s there?!”

Dinky turned to look where Discord was looking, and saw a rustling in the bushes.

“Come on out!” Discord shouted, holding up his eagle claw, which was now glowing with the same aura as earlier. Something was enveloped in his golden aura, and came floating out of the bushes. “… Oh Faust…”

“W-What is that?” Dinky asked, shaking at what she saw. She turned her attention to Discord, and saw his feet beginning to turn grey. “W-What’s happening?”

“… Not again,” Discord said in a depressed tone. “Just when I was finally free…” Discord’s gaze didn’t break with the cockatrice’s. It was fixed their by the creature’s strange magic. He felt his body slowly turning to stone, and resigned himself to his fate. “Kid… Get outta here. Now.”

“N-No… I can’t… I have to do something… I-”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Dinky turned around to see a purple Unicorn approaching. “M-Miss Twilight?”

Twilight teleported past Dinky, and right in-between Discord and the cockatrice. “I learned this spell after one of you got me last time. I won’t let you defeat me again!”

Twilight closed her eyes, and focused magic into her horn. Discord watched in awe and wonder as the purple light filled the area, and made him feel suddenly warm.

The cockatrice let out a pained scream, before being flung away by a sudden barrier, created from Twilight’s magic. The barrier also shattered the stone that had encased Discord’s lower body. When she settled down, she let out her held breath, and turned to face Discord. “… There. Now we’re even.”

Discord looked at her as if she had gone mad. “What?”

“You saved Dinky, and I saved you. We’re even.”

Discord scratched the back of his head, and then, seeing no signs of a sudden attack coming from Twilight, turned around and began to walk away. “Yeah, well, whatever. I only saved her to repay a favour, anyway.”

“Discord!” Dinky shouted, causing Discord to stop and turn around, just in time to see the purple filly jump up to him and tackle-hug him aggressively. “You’re okay! I’m so glad!”

“Ouch! Watch it, you brat! My leg still hurts, y’know?!”

Dinky quickly got off of Discord, and watched as he tried pitifully to stand up. “Um… I’m sorry… It’s just… I thought you were gonna die, and I… I…”

Discord gagged and turned around again. “Geez, stop it already! Really, you ponies are so sentimental! It’s disgusting!”

Twilight frowned and approached Dinky. “And? What are you going to do now?”

Discord stretched his arms as he thought about it. “Like I told the kid, I don’t really know. Without chaos, life doesn’t seem worth living.” He looked up at the sky above him, which had stopped raining and had cleared up a few minutes ago. “But… Maybe there is something else out there. You and the kid saved my life, so I guess the least I can do, as a proper gentlemen-” Twilight scoffed at that, “-Is to not waste it.”

Twilight nodded, and turned around. “I’m still going to report your freedom to the Princess.”

“She probably already knows about it. But go ahead. I don’t care.” Discord turned around and grinned at the two ponies before him. “After all, I’m free now. And heck if I’m gonna let some friendship-obsessed pony, or some self-righteous Princess take that away from me again.”

“Will you…” Dinky started, but stopped when Discord looked down at her. She found the strength to continue. “Will you… Come visit me sometime?” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Friends should stay in touch with each other, after all.”

Discord rolled his eyes, and began walk away. Dinky frowned at the ground, but her spirits were lifted when she head Discord say: “Maybe if I have nothing better to do, I might drop by sometime.”

Dinky nodded and waved goodbye, before turning around to follow Twilight out of the forest. Twilight was blinded for a moment by a flash of light as she watched Dinky approach. “Ah! What was that?”

Dinky turned around to see what had caused the flash of light, and a big smile formed on her face when she saw the mark on her flank: two hooves, joined together. She looked over her shoulder to see if Discord was still there, but could see no sign of the draconequus.

“We’ll see each other again, for sure. We’re friends now, after all… This Cutie Mark is proof of it.”