Accepting Harmony

Chapters

Prologue
The Draconequus Has Landed
Seeking Forgiveness
'The Evil Statue!'

Prologue

Canterlot Gardens truly was one of the most beautiful sights in all of Equestria. At least, that’s what everypony always said as they strolled the gardens, snapping photos and admiring the famous landmarks. They had been coming and going, taking in the apparent majesty of the place, since it was made public nearly two hundred years ago.

Personally, Discord was still struggling to understand what made the Royal Gardens so spectacular. He supposed it was how orderly it all was, the way each hedge was perfectly trimmed and in line with all the rest, and how the stone paths were carefully laid out to cross each other at constant intervals, that made it to appealing to the eyes of ponies.

Or perhaps it was the symbolism of the countless stone statues that inhabited the garden which drew everypony’s attention. He had witnessed the ponies’ dedication to their ideologies first-hand over the years: they would come, dozens flocked together in tour groups or on field trips, and ogle over the stories of adventure and heroism that accompanied each granite effigy. When they beheld his frozen form, they would inevitably be intrigued and amused by his striking appearance, only to turn their noses up and scoff when informed of the ‘sinister’ nature represented by his hodgepodge body.

As a whole, he supposed the Gardens themselves were meant to represent the order and unity that bound Equestria - and being forced to gaze upon them incessantly had become maddening to Discord over the centuries. Every day he had amused himself by imagining the careful harmony of his surroundings thrown up in a blaze of chaos. For years he had considered how best to remodel his new palace once he finally broke free of his stone prison and dethroned the mares who had abruptly ended his reign so long ago.

Now, he sat, alone, upon the pedestal which had once been his jail cell, in the quiet nighttime of the Gardens. For the first time in his considerable life, he attempted to see the familiar sight through a fresh pair of eyes.

Very recently, he’d had a sort of epiphany, which had put him in a position he’d never dreamed of. He’d been taught, as unlikely as it had seemed, about the beauty that was friendship, and after eons of entertaining himself by causing disharmony and malice, he had discovered something that was truly meaningful.

It had been a shock to his system at first. He’d never realized, until that exact moment, how empty his life of solitude had felt. Being a creature of mischief, he’d always assumed that friends were something that simply weren’t compatible with him. After all, he had thought, why in the world would anypony ever dream of having a creature like Discord be a part of their life?

“I would have assumed that you’d grown tired of this view.” Discord couldn’t help jumping at the sound of her voice. His cheeks almost began to redden as he turned to face Luna. She was smiling at him, which prompted him to return with what must have been a rather awkward grin.

After his recent release by Celestia, most ponies had reacted… badly to Discord’s presence, sometimes going as far as to start running immediately upon catching a glimpse of him. Even Celestia herself was visibly tense whenever he was around, which was understandable, but still made Discord feel a bit wounded (desiring Celestia’s acceptance was another thing he had never expected to happen).

Luna, however, seemed to warm up towards him almost immediately upon his return from Ponyville. He remembered being confronted, on the night of his return, by a junior member of the Royal Guard while wandering the palace grounds. The unicorn was obviously startled to see the fabled Draconequus free from his statue form, having likely not been informed of his recent release. He had immediately begun shouting and, with his horn thrust out like a lance, charged at Discord, who was forced to quickly decide the limits of his newfound freedom.

Just as he had overpowered his instinctual reaction of hexing the poor colt in favor of teleporting away from the scene, a swirl of blue descended in front of him and magically halted the stallion’s charge. He would always remember the image of that exact moment; Luna’s wings were outstretched in a protective stance, horn lowered and hooves firmly planted in Discord’s defense.

After berating the guard for his recklessness, then giving him a small commendation for his bravery and sending him away, Luna had fervently apologized to Discord. He remembered mumbling what had probably been the first sincere “thanks” of his life, before the princess gave him a sheepish grin and took flight back to her tower.

That had been almost a week ago today, and since then he hadn’t had any real contact with her, though of course he caught glances of her around the castle as he accompanied Celestia during her daily duties (part of the reformation process she had assigned him).

“I was just thinking,” he said, as Luna came to stand by his side. “For so long, thinking was all I could do… I guess it comes more naturally to me while I’m here. Just a familiar spot to gather my feelings.”

Luna seated herself on the stone circle surrounding the base of the pedestal; sitting like that, with her head turned up to look up at him, Discord thought she seemed incredibly innocent. In fact, she looked more at-ease at this particular moment than he had ever seen her on the rare occasions she was with others. She had allowed the muscles in her shoulders and haunches to relax, and she wasn’t staring daggers at everything, as she usually did.

“It seems strange, doesn’t it?” she said, and he was pleased to hear her speak in her calm, soothing tone of voice rather than the commanding boom she adopted for formal events. (Discord supposed that in the life of a princess, every event was formal.) “This place, which was once your prison… it holds a peculiarly calming atmosphere, knowing that you can now come and go as you please. You’re so familiar with these surroundings, they seem like home to you… isn’t that right?”

Discord picked up on her allusion immediately, suddenly realizing that had at least one thing in common with the princess. “When you’re up there,” he said, jerking his head in the direction of the full moon, “you don’t feel any sort of anger, or resentment?”

For a moment, she didn’t answer, and Discord was briefly afraid that he had said something offensive; peaceful conversation was something he was still getting used to. Finally, she turned her warm gaze upon him and responded with, “Yes, I do, every day and night… but not towards my sister. My jealousy and resentment were to blame for the exile I endured, and even now I berate myself over the foolishness I displayed back then.”

As she said this, an unintended burst of anger flared up within Discord. Was this whole meeting Celestia’s doing? Another of her incessant attempts to hammer her lessons into his skull? As if she hadn’t been lecturing him on and on every single day of the past week! She was probably watching them right now, through that stupid telescope on her stupid tower with a stupid, smug look on her stupid face…

Discord quickly halted this train of thought, reminding himself that trust was one of the many aspects of his new life that would take some getting used to. After all, if Luna was attempting to lecture him, he was sure it would be incredibly obvious; based on what he had seen of her so far, she wasn’t exactly an amazing actor.

He was actually very touched that Luna was attempting to connect to him, something only one pony had ever cared enough to do before, and decided he may as well try to extend the same courtesy to her. “You know,” he said, “I never really hated you, or Celestia, back when we first met.” Luna was surprised that he was bringing up their first meeting from over a thousand years ago; they hadn’t exactly been on friendly terms in those days. “I actually thought you two were pretty interesting… two young princesses, trying to put an end to a mischievous spirit’s reign of chaos.”

There was no bitterness in Discord’s voice. He almost sounded nostalgic as he said, “I never really took either of you as a threat… I actually planned on keeping you around after I defeated you, as my companions… it was the first thing I’d looked forward to in a long time, even if I knew it would’ve been a lie.” Luna’s attention was fixed squarely upon him. She had come to see him in the hopes of erasing any ill feelings between them, but hadn’t expected him to be so forthcoming with his emotions.

In a lighter tone, he said, “If I had been taking you more seriously at the time, I might not have been frozen into such a ridiculous position. You have no idea how embarrassing it was having those tourists rubberneck me every day while I looked like I was performing a solo shower-opera.”

Luna giggled a bit at this; she could still remember, even after all these years, how she and Celestia had taken advantage of Discord’s overconfidence by blasting him with the Elements of Harmony while he was in the midst of a sarcastic tirade, where he pretended to congradulate the sisters over their triumph. Looking back, it may have been a bit unchivalrous of them to do so, but that certainly hadn’t been the correct time to excersize proper social graces. If they had hesitated for even a moment, they might have been the ones serving as his lawn decorations.

Thinking about the past, Luna was reminded of the immense power that Discord commanded. Given the reality-warping nature of his magic, he had nearly limitless possibilities when it came to the things he could do with the force of his will alone. It was frightening to think about, even now.

Luna knew, for example, that Discord possessed the ability to raise and lower both the Sun and the Moon easily; before they had cast him from his chaotic throne, it had been he who had set the days and nights in motion, though of course there had been no rhyme or reason to it. He would simply initiate sunshine or moonlight whenever he was in the mood.

The biggest reason Luna had been so quick to put her trust in Discord upon his release was that she seemed to be the only one who was already convinced that he wasn’t truly evil to begin with. If her sister agreed with her on this, she certainly didn’t show it, but Luna believed that if Discord had ever truly wanted to make people suffer, he would have done so very thoroughly, but none of his past actions were, under close examination, necessarily villainous.

For one thing, Discord had never physically hurt anybody, though he was certainly capable of it. Even when faced with direct opposition he usually seemed to prefer to mislead his enemies, rather than fight them directly. More than anything else, he appeared to believe strongly in preserving individual freedom, which she guessed was the reason why he never made any effort to restrain or imprison those who had defied him in the past.

To Discord, who, like herself, possessed the gift of an immensely long life, every day must seem like a game, which he tried to make as interesting as possible. When she considered how much older than even herself he was, she almost understood his motivation; in a world where things have a tenency to stagnate, it must have seemed a shame not to mix things up when he had every ability to do so.

That wasn’t to say she believed what he had done was right or fair in any way. He deserved every year of his imprisonment, just as she had deserved hers, and now that he had begun learning to control the excessive use of his powers, she was sure he could be taught to use them for the benefit of Equestria, rather than to throw it into disarray for his amusement. The inclusion of friendship into his life was sure to have an impact, and based on what she had seen of him so far, it truly appeared that he derived more pleasure from being accepted by others than he did by toying with their lives.

She only hoped that it would stay that way. “So, Discord,” she said, as a way of breaking the silence she hadn’t realized had been growing between them, “How do you plan to spend your days, now that you have the freedom to go where you please?”

“Go where I please?” he repeated, giving her a questioning look. “Do you have any idea the kind of chokehold Celestia has me in? I wander off for five minutes and she calls out those winged hounds of yours to come looking for me.” He was obviously referring to the Royal Guards, though Luna laughed inwardly as she thought of her pet Pollon which she kept in her tower.

It occurred to her, then, that Discord wouldn’t be making any sort of social or emotional progress if her sister was forcing him to remained cooped up in the castle. Knowing Celestia, it would likely be a while before she deemed him stable enough to be released into the public… unless she could find a way to change her mind. “I may be able to arrange for my sister to allow you some leeway,” she said, “but in return, you must promise to keep me informed on your personal discoveries outside of the castle walls.” A puzzled look flashed across Discord’s face, quickly replaced by one of mild annoyance.

“Eugh, great, you must be getting jealous of your sister. Now you’re expecting me to be personal Twilight Sparkle.” Getting up from his pedestal, he made an exaggeratedly feminine pose and said, in a mockingly high-pitched voice, “Dear Princess Luna, today I learned that there’s no problem you can’t solve by sprinkling it with a little sugar and rainbows!” With a snap of his fingers, he created a shower of shimmering sparklets that fell daintily around him. “Your faithful student, Discord!”

Luna couldn’t resist laughing audibly at Discord’s little display, and even the Draconequus himself was grinning at his own joke. “Well, as long as you’re not expecting any flattery or adoration on my part, that sounds fair to me. It would be nice to get out and see the world again.”

Satisfied, Luna prepared to depart, to give her sister the news. As she spread her wings, Luna said, “The matter is settled, then. Come sunrise, you shall be free to roam the lands of Equestria at your leisure.” Ascending into the night sky, she added, “But do not forget our correspondence, Discord. I will not hesitate to send the guards out if you should suddenly vanish.”

He watched her rise to the top of her tower, at which point the lost sight of her, though he supposed she was on the balcony, watching over Equestria through her enchanted telescope, as he had seen her doing on previous nights.

With a sigh and a snap, he instantly transported himself into his own bedroom, which occupied the room opposite Celestia’s. This was the one space in all of Equestria where the Princess had given him permission to use his magic as he saw fit to make himself comfortable, and as a result, the interior was a warped display of bedlam that defied all common logic.

The walls and ceiling twisted and met it ways that made no physical sense, and were adorned with all manner of out-of-place furnishings, including a bed which was absurdly stretched out, lying vertically along the wall opposite the door. A mass of small silver cubes tossed themselves from corner to corner on the ceiling, occasionally colliding with the grotesquely wrought chandelier, the chain of which was inexplicably curved into the shape of a J. It had no candles, and the room actually seemed to be more dim around it.

Flopping himself against his bed, Discord pondered where he would go first with his newfound freedom. As he did so, he unconsciously began twirling in front of him the only item in the room which held any emotional significance: the remains of Fluttershy’s lamp, fashioned into his likeness, which he had taken from her cottage as a memento, after she insisted as politely as possible that she’d really prefer to just buy a new one.

This would be his chance to begin proving his newfound benevolence, and show that uptight Celestia that he wasn’t any threat to Equestria anymore. If she even agreed to let him go, that is… but, he was fairly convinced that she would listen to her sister, whom he thought she was secretly still tring to be extra-polite to following the Nightmare Moon debacle.

No, Celestia wouldn’t be the problem… what could prove difficult was getting past the stigma he carried with the rest of Equestria. The news of his release hadn’t been public information, which meant that most of the world still thought of him as a monster sealed away into a statue, provided they even knew of him to begin with. He’d most likely be forced to endure a fair amount of pointing and screaming… not that it particularly bothered him, but it would get in the way of creating a positive personal image.

So, first he would need to work on making more ponies into his friends. And if there was anypony who claimed to know about making friends, it was…

Discord’s smile spread across his face as he decided exactly what the first stop would be on his little journey. He could practically hear the laughter already.

Author's Note

This is sort of a preface for what I expect to be a pretty lengthy story. It will tell the tale of everyone's favorite Draconequus learning lessons about friendship and harmony in a rather Twilight-esque fashion. Most of the chapters will probably be quite a bit longer than this, and you'll have to excuse me if this one seems a little bland, as there's not very much dialogue and it's really just meant to explain why Discord is doing any of this.

Also , please note that, at the moment, this is not planned to be a Discord/Luna romance, though that may change later on if I feel that the story would benefit from it. As of right now, I'm going to let the narrative evolve in a way that feels natural.

Thanks for reading!

The Draconequus Has Landed

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer that I go with you?"

"Yes, Celestia. I'm quite sure."

"The citizens of Ponyville would react much more positively if I was there."

"Oh, you're afraid the sight of me will start a riot, is that it?"

"Well… yes, I am."

"Don't worry your pretty little horseshoes over it, my dear. All of Equestria will love the new and improved Discord!"

The Draconequus struck a heroic pose, looking rather ludicrous with his goat leg perched upon the edge of the chariot, lion paw clenched over his puffed-out chest. The guards who would be pulling the sleigh exchanged glances, unsure whether Princess Celestia was being wise in allowing Discord to take a vacation to Ponyville.

"You making a spectacle of yourself is exactly what I'm afraid of," said the Princess, who was already beginning to regret letting Luna talk her into this.

"Oh, really?" Discord wheeled around to cast a bemused glare at Celestia. "I thought you were afraid I'd turn the whole town into mindless puppets and have them storm the gates of Canterlot."

In a flash of light, he appeared at her side, his arm draped around her neck. "Or are you finally ready to put our past behind us and move on?"

One of the Pegasus guards took an angry step towards Discord, flaring his nostrils. Holding up his hands in a posture of peace, he responded with, "Whoa, whoa, easy there, pony boy. The princess and I… we go way back." He traced a talon along the curve of her jaw, and chuckled when he saw a vein bulge in the guard's forehead. Even if he was now finding pleasure in friendship, Discord would always savor the little, harmless moments of fun like this.

Celestia, it seemed, was less amused by his antics, shrugging his arm off and adopting her most serious tone. "Now listen, Discord, I agreed to allow this little quest of yours because Luna strongly believes that it will improve your moral outlook on things. But if I hear so much as a whisper of any unusual events-"

"Yes, yes, you'll have me back in stone before I have time to plead my innocence, very typical of you, Celestia. Goodness, you're wound so tight, I'll never know how you manage to hide your age so well." Leaning in close, he added, in a more somber tone, "but, of course there are going to be whispers, even false ones. Ponies are a skittish bunch after all, and of course you know not to trust everything you hear."

"Besides," he continued, adopting his playful attitude once more, "I'll be right down the street from your little student Twilight Sparkle the whole time. I pull any funny business, and you know she'll be the first to tell you all about it."

He returned to the seat of the chariot with a flash, suddenly dressed in tourist's garb, complete with a camera around his neck and a map stuffed into his pocket. "Hi-ho, Ponyville, away!" he shouted, pointing into the distance and wearing a ridiculous grin on his face. The guards glanced back to the princess, who gave a curt nod, and began their ascent as Discord shook with mock enthusiasm.

Celestia watched them head off, hoping that she wouldn't need to resort to having Twilight use the Elements of Harmony. She believed Discord when he said that he wanted to make new friends, but wasn't sure how his volatile personality would react around so many ponies. Sighing, she turned and strolled back into the castle. She had important events to prepare for, and would simply have to wait and see whether Luna had been right about their former enemy.

"Can't this guy teleport wherever he wants?" whispered one of the Pegasi to his companion. "Why do we have to fly him around?"

"Because," Discord cut in, his tourist attire having vanished, "I'm practically one of the royal family now, so it's about time I started getting some royal treatment. The last time I was on one of these things, it was awfully hard for me to enjoy myself, given that I couldn't move a single muscle."

He returned to lounging himself out on his seat, leaving the guards no choice but to keep flying, despite the fact that Discord could practically hear them sizzling.

After several more minutes of what the guards considered to be blissful silence, Ponyville began to come into shape clearly, and they began their decent. As instructed, the Pegasi took the chariot in the direction of Twilight Sparkle's library, where Discord had decided to make his first stop, figuring it would be wise to make his peaceful intentions known to the only pony in Equestria who could spell out his doom.

Spike, who was dusting the balcony of their residence, called excitedly to Twilight when he saw the carriage coming from the distance. "Twilight! There's a chariot coming! It looks like Princess Celestia!"

The eager Unicorn was out the door almost before Spike had finished speaking, the book she was reading completely forgotten. "Oh my gosh, a surprise visit from the Princess!" she gasped, suddenly very conscious of how untidy she thought her mane looked. "Spike, bring me a brush, quick. Spike? Spiiiike!"

"Calm down," said the young dragon, joining her in front of their residence, "You look fine. Besides, you know she's not that critical." Every time, Twilight got herself all worked up over nothing, and Spike would have to pick up the pieces when she inevitably overdid things.

"Ooh, what could this be about?" she mused mostly to herself, seeming not to hear Spike's comment. "Maybe she wants to invite me to the annual Canterlot Royal Summit!" Twilight gave a happy squeal, then suddenly turned dour. "Or maybe she's coming to tell me that they had to cancel the Royal Summit…" She gasped as she began to imagine all sorts of unfortunate and wholly unlikely scenarios.

She was visibly shaking with anticipation as the chariot began its final descent into the streets of Ponyville. As it touched down, she squeezed her eyes shut out of nervousness, and when she cracked one open several seconds later, was surprised to see that the carriage, which the guards had brought to a halt several feet in front of her, appeared to be completely empty.

"Um… there's nopony there," Spike pointed out, rather unnecessarily. Alarmed, both of the guards quickly turned back, saw that the chariot was, indeed, without a passenger, and exchanged a worried glance. It certainly wouldn't look good if they had allowed Discord to slip away while he had been right under their noses.

They had no reason to worry, however, as the spirit suddenly emerged from behind Twilight and uttered a very loud, "Helloooooo, everypony!," causing the young student to jump so violently that a puff of sparks sprang from the tip of her horn.

Before she had a chance to compose herself, Discord pulled her into a bear hug that squeezed the breath from her. "Oh, it's so good to see your friends again, isn't it? The past week has been so dreadfully droll, I've thought of nothing but coming to see all my pony pals!"

Spike looked rather awkward, not sure whether he should be shouting for help. A quick look at the bemused expressions of the guards told him that Discord had most likely gotten clearance from Celestia to be here, though that didn't necessarily make him feel better about the way he was constricting Twilight, whose face was beginning to turn blue.

He set her down after giving her mane an affectionate ruffle, leaving her gasping and sputtering as her brain struggled to process all the information it had just received. Discord grinned at her patiently, clearly expecting some sort of tirade, and was surprised when she forced herself to return his smile.

"Oh, it's you Discord!" she said, straining to make her voice sound as cheerful as possible. "Princess Celestia… didn't tell me you were coming."

"Yes, well, I asked her not to," he replied. "For the express reason of seeing that face riiight…" as he tapped her on the nose, her composure broke, and a look of shock spread over her. "…there."

"It's… not that I… don't want to see you, Discord… I just have so much work that needs to be done…" She was struggling to find words that wouldn't seem offensive; she was glad that Celestia's old enemy had been able to embrace the magic of friendship, and wanted him to continue improving, but it seemed that his old sense of humor was there to stay.

"You don't have to lie to me, Twilight Sparkle," he said nonchalantly, "I'm not here to see you, anyways."

This caught her by surprise, and only increased her confusion. "Oh? Well, then… why are you here?"

"Well, I've decided that it would be fun to have even more ponies as my friends-" he smiled inwardly as Twilight cringed, "-and this seems like the best place to start looking, since I already have a few friends here."

If Discord's visit was truly about making friends, Twilight saw no reason to stop him, though she was concerned about his methods, not to mention the fact that his presence was likely to stir up quite a commotion amongst the townsfolk. But, she reminded herself, it had been Princess Celestia who had decided that Discord should be reformed, and if this would help him be a more likeable fellow, then she was willing to lend a hoof… for Celestia's sake.

Discord gave a dismissive wave to the chariot guards. "You're here is done, gentlemen. I won't be needing a ride back, so you two can head on back to Canterlot." More quietly, he added, "I'm sure Celestia could use you to fetch her newspaper."

Twilight assured the guards that she was more than capable of handling the spirit, at which point they ascended into the sky once more, glad to be rid of Discord but at the same time feeling slightly guilty about dumping him on the poor Unicorn.

"Well, if you want to make more friends," said Twilight, "the first thing we need to do is work on the way you introduce yourself. Nothing tells a person more about you than your first impression, and-"

"Wait, wait," he cut her off, "I think you misunderstood me. It's not your help I'm looking for on this. From what I know about you, you're not exactly an expert on social interaction."

Considering who she was talking to, Twilight decided to pretend that this comment wasn't slightly offensive. "I just thought I'd better see you first, to let you know that I'll be around Ponyville." Looking around, he added, "I'll also be needing some directions. It's hard to tell where I am when everything's so… orderly. Do you know where I might find our friend Pinkie Pie?"

To say that Discord drew a lot of attention was an understatement. Everypony he and Twilight passed on their way gawked at him as if in disbelief. Twilight would occasionally call out, "It's okay everypony, just a special guest of Princess Celestia, nothing to worry about," when they passed by a group of ponies that looked particularly panicked.

As for Discord himself, he seemed rather amused by the reactions his mere appearance was capable of creating. At one point, he went so far as to stop and bow to Daisy and Golden Harvest, saying, in his most noble voice, "Good morning, ladies." While Golden Harvest simply looked dumbstruck, Daisy had promptly fainted on the spot, earning Discord an irritated glance from Twilight.

By the time they arrived at the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, Twilight found herself wishing she'd thought of something a bit more inconspicuous than simply parading the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony down Ponyville's main road. "Maybe you'd better let me try a quick transformation spell," she said, "just to make you fit in a little better."

"Oh, I can disguise myself if I want, Twilight Sparkle, but that would defeat the point." He made a sweeping motion with his claw and exclaimed a bit more loudly than Twilight would've preferred, "These ponies need to know that Discord is ready for their friendship!"

Of all the things Twilight had been certain she would never hear, that particular combination of words was quite high on the list. Struggling not to think too hard about what her actions here were likely to mean for the future of her own sanity, she pushed the door to the bakery open and trotted inside, Discord forced to duck down in order to follow her.

There was nopony at the front counter or any of the tables when they entered, though the ringing of the bell on the door was shortly followed by Mr. Carrot Cake's voice from the kitchen. "Be right with you, just taking this batch of muffins out of the oven."

"Please go easy on him," Twilight whispered in a tone that bordered on begging. "Mr. Cake is jumpy at the best of times."

Her warning came too late, as Carrot Cake had already halfway entered the room, tray of baked goods in his mouth, when he spotted the ominous figure of the Draconequus and came to an abrupt halt, the muffins falling to the ground as his jaw went slack.

Acting quickly, Discord snapped the tray onto the counter before it could hit the ground. He had hoped that this would help make a good first impression with the baker, though unfortunately, Mr. Cake seemed not to notice, as he continued to stare blankly at the creature whose head nearly reached the roof of his building.

"Mr. Cake," began Twilight, hoping to snap him out of his stupor in the most gentle way possible, "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. His name's Discord, and he's here to see Pinkie Pie. Is she around here?"

"Pinkie Pie?" mumbled Carrot Cake, wobbling slightly, "Sh-she's, uh… she's upstairs…"

Twilight exchanged a quick glance with Discord, who silently agreed that they should be on their way before the sight of his intimidating figure drove the unfortunate stallion to hysterics. Discord looked rather awkward as he stepped gingerly around Carrot, following Twilight up the stairs to the second floor. He'd seen ponies go to all sorts of extremes upon the sight of him, but this was the first time his appearance had stunned somepony into what appeared to be a complete daze. He certainly hoped he'd recovered by the time they left; he didn't look forward to explaining to Celestia that his sight was apparently enough to put ponies into comas.

Pinkie's room was easily identified by the blue-and-yellow balloons adorning the door, synonymous with her cutie mark. As she was going to knock, Twilight suddenly became aware of the fact that she was about to leave Ponyville in the wake of the two wildest individuals she had ever come into contact with, and began to question whether the town was likely to survive such a situation. Glancing back over her shoulder, her concerned eyes met with Discord's cheerfully expectant ones, striking her with a strong sense of sympathy she hadn't ever expected to associate with someone like him. Bracing herself for what would surely be a hectic series of events, she rapped her hoof against the door.

The response was instant and explosive, as Twilight had predicted. Less than a second after knocking, the door was thrown open and a blur of pink darted directly into Twilight, knocking her on her back. "Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, as if she had been eagerly anticipating their meeting. Standing over Twilight's prone form, their noses almost touching, she proceeded to rattle off more words per minute than the Unicorn had thought possible prior to their first meeting.

"It's so great of you to come and see me, you must have known how lonely I was feeling and came to cheer me up, that's so nice of you, and now we can go and get Applejack and Fluttershy and Rarity and-"

"Pinkie-"

"Now, why would we need to get me, silly? I'm already here! Unless you mean you think we should go get more Pinkies, but that didn't work out so well the last time, remember? Unless maybe you thought up a spell that can calm them down and then we could have tons of fun without them running all over the place and it would be a great big Pinkie Pie party and then I could dance with everyone all at once and it would be like I was at a bunch of different parties all at the same time and it would be sooo much fun-"

"Pinkie, I-"

"Oooh, I'm just so happy that you cared enough to come all by yourself when usually it's me who goes out and gets you but today you beat me to it because you were just that excited to see me and now we can go out and hmmmmffmfmmfmm-"

It took Pinkie a moment to realize that Twilight was holding her mouth shut with magic, at which point she gave her a questioning look. "Actually, Pinkie, I didn't come by myself. I brought someone with me who came all the way from Canterlot to see you again."

At this point, Pinkie seemed to finally notice Discord, who had been silently observing their mostly one-sided exchange with a look of delight. He was thrilled to see that Pinkie Pie had remained the same fun-loving pony he had admittedly become rather attached to during their previous encounters, and wondered now how she would react to the sight of him.

He found himself holding his breath as he waited for her reaction, having not fully realized until this moment how badly he craved Pinkie Pie's acceptance; if the friendliest mare in Equestria wanted nothing to do with him, then what hope was there?

For several seconds, she said nothing, making his heart skip a beat. Twilight began to look panicky at the prospect of bearing the full brunt of Discord's disappointment, when Pinkie broke into a wide smile, giving the Draconequus a surge of elation, followed by a sudden weight as she pounced upon him. Her excited charge managed to toss him to the ground as it had Twilight, who took this opportunity to right herself into a standing position and began straightening her mane, which had become rather frazzled by Pinkie's playful assault.

"I knew you'd be back!" she exclaimed, as Discord found himself in much the same situation as he had been observing before. "I just knew it! When you told everypony how you wanted to start being friendly, I knew you'd have to come back to Ponyville, because that's where we all are, and we were the first friends you'd ever made, and first friends are best friends, right? At least most of the time, but that's not to say that you're not one of my best friends Twilight, even though I didn't meet you until later, but you-"

As she rambled on, Discord became a bit flustered by the fact that she seemed to have already forgotten him, even though she currently had her hooves pressed against his chest, when suddenly her attention snapped back to its previous target.

"Anyways, nopony can stay away from their best friends for long, even somepony who isn't a pony at all, even a dracona-whatchamacallit like you Discord, especially since you just made friends, and you must still be amazed by how awesome it is!"

She paused, leading Discord to believe she had finished her tangent, before she took a large, dramatic inhale and continued to spout off her mind at what could only be called breakneck speed.

"Soooo, now that you're back and being friendly and all that I can give you my official welcoming tour of Ponyville, and then later I can throw you a great big party, because I always throw parties for my new friends, only it would've been a little weird to do that last time because everyone would've been scared of you, only I guess everyone would still be scared of you…"

Placing a hoof to her chin, she began to ponder how to overcome this significant obstacle in her plan, and Discord promptly took advantage of the opportunity to speak.

"Well, that's exactly why I came to see you, my dear," he said, flashing himself out from underneath her, then catching her before she could fall to the ground and holding her gently in front of him. "I know that nopony else in the world knows how to make friends better than you, and I hoped that you would share some of that knowledge with me."

"Oooh, oooh, that'll be so much fun! I just know everpony's gonna love you once they get to know you! So, what are we waiting for? Let's get out there and show you around the town already!"

Pinkie flailed her legs in midair as if to begin running, though of course she went nowhere as Discord still held her a considerable distance off the ground.

Twilight chose this moment to speak up. "Pinkie, remember that this is Discord we're talking about. Even if he's reformed now, everypony still remembers him as the spirit who turned Ponyville into the chaos capital of Equestria. If he just starts wandering around, ponies are gonna freak out."

"Hmm, good point, Twilight," said Pinkie reflectively. "I guess spending all that time surrounded by books really does make you smarter."

Before she even had a chance to voice a retort to that statement, Pinkie had wriggled free of Discord's grasp and took him by the paw, pulling him back down the stairs. "We'll just have to be careful, then!" Twilight could only sigh and follow them, praying to Celestia they didn't find themselves with a crisis situation on their hooves.

As the trio descended the staircase, they caught sight of Mrs. Cup Cake, who was kneeling by her husband's side. Attentively patting his head with a damp cloth, she said, "Oh, what's happened to you, sweetie? You look like you've seen a-"

She stopped in mid-sentence as she caught sight of Discord, who gave her an apologetic smile. "Bye, Mrs. Cake! Said Pinkie, oblivious to the atmosphere of the room. "I'm gonna go show my friend Discord to everypony in Ponyville!"

The three of them departed the store, leaving Mrs. Cake to weakly collapse onto the floor beside the stunned Mr. Cake, mumbling to herself about spirits and disaster.

Author's Note

Well, this should be good. I have a lot more ideas ahead for this particular portion of the story, but wanted to post the first have of it now so that it doesn't seem intimidatingly long-winded. Thanks for reading, please review and come back soon for the next installment!

Seeking Forgiveness

To begin with, Ponyville had been a relatively quiet little hamlet, nestled snugly in a comfortable corner of Equestria under the watchful eye of Canterlot. Rarely had its citizens been faced with anything particularly out-of-the-ordinary, giving rise to its reputation as one of the most peaceful places to live marked on the map.

Then, somewhere around a year or two in the past, a certain event had occurred that caused an unstoppable ripple effect throughout the entire community. Since Twilight Sparkle made her first appearance in the humble little town, bringing with her the drama and excitement of the Royal Capital, it had become a hot spot for strange events and catastrophic conundrums, usually at the expense of its innocent inhabitants. They never blamed the Unicorn for the trouble that she had seemed to carry with her to their town, provided they were one of the few that had managed to make the connection between them, and many believed that the benefit the talented magician granted to Ponyville outweighed her penchant for attracting villainous characters.

In one of the most infamously disastrous events of Ponyville's relatively brief history, they had been plagued by the Spirit of Chaos, who had warped their pretty little town into a twisted dystopia of his own demented design. Everypony could still remember this event quite clearly; Twilight and a small troupe of the most courageous mares in Ponyville had ultimately triumphed against the spirit Discord, sealing him away once again and henceforth being regarded as heroes amongst all of Equestria.

Despite all that those living in Ponyville had endured in recent times, most still could not believe their eyes when beholding what many considered to be the strangest sight that had crossed their path to date. There he was, the aforementioned Chaos Spirit, still fresh in everypony's minds as the harbinger of disharmony and malice, strolling casually down Ponyville's central dirt road wearing a sheepish grin, accompanied by a giddily bouncing Pinkie Pie and a nervous, stone-faced Twilight Sparkle. The word 'shock' came nowhere near describing the reactions the unlikely trio elicited from those they happened to cross paths with.

"Now, I was just thinking," said Pinkie, completely oblivious to the stares of the onlookers, "Nothing makes people happier than laughing with friends, and your magic is already great at making people laugh!"

"The problem," added Twilight, avoiding eye contact with passersby as she blushed furiously, "Is that you would use your magic to force everypony to do things that made you laugh, but caused them to suffer." Unlike her happy-go-lucky companion, Twilight was acutely aware of every gasp and growl that emerged from the ponies they passed along their way.

"Soooo, if you want to make more friends," concluded the bubbly pony, "you need to start using your magic to make everypony happy!"

She abruptly came to a halt in front of a cream-colored two-story house, ringed with neatly trimmed shrubs and topped by a weathervane in the shape of a large, pink heart.

"This'll be a good place to start," she said. "I have a friend who lives here that laughs at everything. She'll probably be willing to give you a chance to talk."

After pounding the door with her hoof, she leaned her head back and shouted, "Bon Bon! It's Pinkie Pie, and I've got a great, big surprise for you!"

Discord exchanged an uneasy glance with the equally concerned Twilight, as he, too, began to wonder whether their quirky friend really had any sort of plan at all, or was just making it up as she went along.

The door cracked open slightly, and Discord caught a glance of a neatly curled mane that flowed in alternating streaks of warm pink and deep blue. "Ooh, a Pinkie surprise!" said the mare, who Discord assumed to be Bon Bon, in a rather sweet voice that seemed to compliment her candy-colored hair perfectly. "This should be good."

She threw open the door completely, revealing a second pony standing next to the first. This one, a unicorn, had a mint-colored coat that matched her mane, and a cutie mark of what looked like some sort of harp. When the duo caught sight of Discord, the mint one immediately let out a high-pitched shriek and threw herself behind Bon Bon, who raised her front hooves in a brawling stance. "Stay back!" she growled, all traces of kindness having abruptly dissolved from her. "You lay one single claw on Lyra and so help me Celestia…!" She punched at the air a few times to reinforce her challenge, while Lyra peeked nervously over her shoulder, trembling violently.

Twilight grabbed Bon Bon's hooves with her own and slowly lowered then back to the ground while she explained, "Don't be afraid, girls. Discord's learned to be friendly! He just wanted to introduce himself to you properly, and apologize for any trouble he may have caused in the past."

"Is that so?" said Bon Bon, her voice laced with skepticism. "The last time that beast was here," squeaked Lyra, pointing an accusing hoof at the Draconequus from behind the perceived safety of her friend's back, "he turned Bon Bon's gorgeous mane into taffy!"

"It took days to get all the bugs out afterwards…" confirmed the Earth pony, tearing up slightly at the memory.

For the first time in his life, Discord found himself tongue-tied as he struggled to form an apology. When he opened his mouth to speak, Bon Bon's glower deepened, and Discord suddenly found himself wishing he was much smaller.

"Aww, just give him a chance, you guys," begged Pinkie as she applied her best pouting face. "He's waaay nicer now, I promise!"

The duo seemed to soften a bit at her reassurance; Bon Bon's scowl became a mere frown, and Lyra poked her head out a bit farther from her impromptu hiding place. It was obvious that they were nowhere near trusting him, a fact which he really couldn't blame them for, but they at least seemed willing to let him explain himself.

This was the moment, then; time to see if letting his true emotions be heard would work the way Celestia had insisted. Summoning a handkerchief which he grasped in his lion paw, Discord patted the sweat from his brow, then choked down the remainder of his pride and began his apology.

"I… I know that the last time I was here, the things I put you ponies through were… inexcusable. Back then, I saw everything and everyone as a toy for me to amuse myself with. I never realized that I was acting so horribly because I was lonely, and jealous that everypony else had friends they could laugh with and rely on, while I had to endure the centuries in solitude. I've always been a creature of chaos, and I thought that meant I couldn't have things like friendship and acceptance, but… well, it took one very special pony to prove me wrong."

To her own surprise, Twilight found her heart melting in response to the emotion and sincerity of Discord's words. A part of her had been doubting the spirit's intentions ever since his supposed reformation, but that part was rapidly ebbing away as he continued his heartfelt apology.

"I don't want you to think I'm trying to make excuses for the commotion I stirred up in Ponyville. What I've done here, and all over Equestria, will haunt me until the end of my life, but my soul could rest in peace if I knew that I had at least tried to make things right with those I wronged in the past… unfortunately, there are some ponies who will never be able to hear my apology. For them, and all those I drove to madness so many years ago as a result of my selfishness, I will forever be in mourning. But these ponies here," he gestured to Twilight and Pinkie, both of whom appeared to be holding back tears, "they've taught me that it may not be too late for me to help others, to use my magic for the benefit of ponykind, and be remembered as a benevolent spirit, a caregiver and a protector, instead of a plague upon the world. If you'll allow it, I'd like to start here, in Ponyville, by helping people overcome their problems. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to call each and every citizen of this lovely town… my friends."

As Discord concluded his speech, Pinkie found that she could no longer control herself, and broke into a fit of tearful sobbing. Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged a glance, any trace of hostility or fear having vanished from their faces, then both gave Discord a warm smile. "Well…" said Lyra, barely audible over Pinkie's bawling, "It would be horrible of us to turn you away after that." Bon Bon nodded in agreement, then added, in a voice that had returned to its initial cordiality, "We can forgive you for any trouble you caused in the past. I mean, I'm always having to let this one off the hook for the messes she stirs up, and some of it's pretty bad." She gave her companion a playful nudge, which Lyra returned in spirit.

Though her tears, Twilight beamed at Discord, who was rather embarrassed and beginning to get a little weepy himself; this was the first time he had made anypony cry out of anything short of terror. "Well," she said, "It looks like-"

"Waaaiiiit!" called an unseen voice, startling the four ponies and the Draconequus, and from out of the bushes leaped an overwhelmingly purple mare, every bit as teary-eyed as the rest.

"I forgive you, too," she said, hugging Discord around his waist, "for turning my house upside-down while I was using the bathroom!"

"Berry Punch!" cried Lyra in surprise, "Have you been eavesdropping?"

"Um…" she suddenly looked rather bashful. "Well… it wasn't just me!" She reached back into the bush from which she had emerged and dragged out a blue Pegasus pony, who looked rather startled and a moment later embarrassed that her cover had been blown.

"Cloudchaser? What were you two doing in there?" Bon Bon raised an eyebrow, causing the Pegasus to begin sweating, until she finally broke and cried, "The same thing as all them!"

Much to their surprise, the shrubbery around Bon Bon's house suddenly became alive with motion as at least twenty more ponies revealed themselves to have been hiding within or behind them.

"Where did all of you ponies come from?" demanded Twilight, cheeks reddening as she realized how many people had witnessed their emotional moment.

Junebug was the first to speak up. "I'm surprised you didn't notice us sooner, Twilight."

"We've been following you pretty much since you left Sugarcube Corner," added Thunderlane, who looked rather unconcerned of having just been discovered spying; he seemed more worried by a stick that had become tangled in his mane, and set at once to yanking it free.

Discord himself was staggered by the sudden appearance of so many ponies, particularly the one that was still clinging tightly to him, having apparently become infatuated with the softness of his abdominal fur. He was acutely aware of the fact that everypony's eyes were on him, and to his own surprise found that he was quite nervous.

He had no reason to be, however, as Mayor Mare (who pretended to have just been passing by, but whose ruffled mane made it obvious she had been in the bushes with the others) approached him with practiced deliberation. Based on the streaks running down her cheeks, it seemed she had been just as moved by his apology as everypony else.

"Discord," she said, her usually haughty tone cracking from emotion, "On behalf of myself, the citizens here, and, I can confidently say, the rest of Ponyville, we hereby find you to be forgiven for any crimes you have committed against us in the past, and welcome you wholeheartedly to our fair city!"

The small crowd of ponies cheered in agreement, as did Pinkie and even Twilight, and Discord's face became intensely flushed. This was all happening so suddenly; he had expected the process of becoming accepted by Ponyville to be painstakingly slow, yet here he found himself, barely an hour into it, surrounded by smiling, happy ponies. It almost seemed too easy, and for a brief moment he thought that perhaps they were all playing a cruel prank on him, as a way of getting revenge.

"You mean… that's it?" he asked, not wanting to sound rude, but also hardly daring to believe his ears. "After all the things I've done… you're forgiving me just like that?"

"Friendship isn't as complicated as you might think," said Twilight, grabbing his paw affectionately. "You've made it clear to everyone here that you've turned a new leaf; we don't need you to prove yourself or make reparations."

"As long as you really meant what you said about making friends, then whoever you were in the past doesn't matter," added Pinkie Pie, following Twilight's lead and placing her hoof in Discord's claw. "Because from now on, you're a new pony! Or, uh… pony-eagle-goat-thingy!"

Berry Punch finally relinquished her hold on Discord, looking almost drunk from giddiness, and said, "Besides, it's not like me to hold a grudge."

Discord looked from one pair of eyes to the next. He could tell the truth from deceit at a glance, and not one of these ponies had a trace of dishonesty anywhere on their faces. A new feeling was welling up inside him now, similar yet somehow different than the kindness her had received earlier; later, upon describing it to Celestia, she would tell him that this is what the word 'heartwarming' meant. "I, um… I don't know what to say…"

"You've said enough already, Discord," offered the Mayor. "Now, everypony, let's give our newest guest a nice, warm, Ponyville welcome!"

Everypony in the crowd, which seemed to have grown even larger in the past few minutes, simultaneously hollered a loud cheer. Charged with elation, Discord threw his arms into the air, yanking the surprised Pinkie and Twilight up with them.

"Wait a minute!" said Pinkie, unfazed by her sudden change in elevation. "There's only one way to officially welcome a new friend to Ponyville!"

Obviously, Discord did not have very much experience with parties. He understood the concept, of course, but the last time he had been to one… well, if there ever had been a last time, which was doubtful, it was so far back that it had faded completely from his memory.

He couldn't even begin to fathom what was expected of him when he was the focus of the party, though Pinkie Pie had assured him that all he needed to do was enjoy himself and get used to being in the company of his new 'pony pals.' Easy enough to say, though he felt tremendously out of place in such a setting; Sugarcube Corner had been decorated with brightly-colored streamers and balloons, which added to the already overwhelmingly pink atmosphere of the bakery. Seeing Discord in such a place, surrounded by cheerful ponies, was like seeing Prince Blueblood square-dancing at a country-style hoedown.

Discord had just finished offering a furtive apology to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who in turn assured him that there was no harm done, and berated themselves for jumping to conclusions, though he noticed that Mr. Cake in particular still looked rather sweaty when speaking to him.

Currently, the Draconequus was standing self-consciously near the door, wondering whether anypony, who seemed to be having a spectacular time on their own, would even notice if he crept away. Just as he began to give serious consideration over abandoning the event, Pinkie popped up on his shoulder, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What's wrong, Discord?" she asked, confetti sticking to her face. "This party is supposed to be for you, ya know! Why not get out there and enjoy it?"

"You make it sound easy," he grumbled. "I'm still having trouble figuring out how to enjoy myself without creating chaos for everyone around me." He was speaking honestly; it wasn't that he didn't like the idea of having harmless fun with friends, it was that he was afraid of inadvertently causing some sort of disaster.

"Aww, don't be like that! Why don't I go get you someone to talk to, to help you warm up?"

Pinkie zipped away before Discord had a chance to protest, returning just as quickly with a startled Cheerilee, who she nudged close to Discord before disappearing again.

Cheerilee, baffled by the sudden change, struggled to come up with words to offer Discord, who looked just as awkward as he felt. She decided to start with a simple greeting. "So, congratulations on your official reformation! It must be nice to have friends now." As soon as she spoke, she realized how harsh this must have sounded, and scrambled to come up with some sort of apology.

To her surprise, Discord happily returned her attempt at conversation. "It's all still so new to me, but I'm hoping to improve as quickly as I can. After all, friendship is ma-" He caught himself mid-sentence, still not willing to completely sacrifice his integrity to all but his closest friends. "Um… friendship is nice."

A brief moment of silence passed between them. "So… what do you, um… do for a living?" asked Discord, aware that his small-talk desperately needed improvement.

"Oh, I'm a schoolteacher." Given how plain her response sounded to her, Cheerilee decided to risk an attempt at humor. "Not quite as exciting as being a master of untold magic, I know, but it suits me well." Discord recognized that it was supposed to be a joke, but simply couldn't force himself to laugh at it.

After several more seconds of uncomfortable silence, somepony cleared their throat near Discord; strangely, the sound seemed to come from above him. Sure enough, an upward glance revealed Pinkie's upside-down face smiling at his own. She had somehow managed to perch herself on Discord's head and neck without him noticing, her arms draped around his horns and muzzle thrust into his own.

"Why not show her one of your magic tricks?" Pinkie suggested.

Discord stared back at her incredulously. "My… magic tricks? Pinkie Pie, I think it's a bit early for me to be-"

"I wouldn't mind seeing a good trick," said Cheerilee politely, though she was questioning the wisdom of that decision just as much as Discord.

He looked back and forth between the two of them, then shrugged, figuring it had been too long since he'd been able to get some magic out of his system, anyways. Still, he supposed, it would be safest to start with something small. Discord snapped his talons, and the ground beneath their feet was suddenly replaced with a shiny dance floor. Cheerilee noticed that she was now wearing an elegant ballroom dress, such as might be seen at a high-end Canterlot social. After giving herself a once-over, she returned her attention to Discord, who was dressed in a black tuxedo and stovepipe hat, complemented by a monocle and silk gloves. He had even given himself a thin, curled moustache to complete the ensemble, which overall contrasted sharply with his physical appearance.

The other party guests had begun to gather around them, and with a casual wave of his arm, Discord outfitted each of them with a unique set of clothes, much to their general delight. Flitter, in particular, was delighted by the billowy cyan gown and intricately decorated saddle that she had been given, immediately showing herself off to Cloudchaser, whose outfit was a bit more risqué and attention-grabbing.

Looking up at Pinkie Pie, who was still sitting atop his head, Discord said, "Pinkie, my dear, would you mind providing some music?" In a flash, she was teleported to what had just a moment ago been the front desk of Sugarcube Corner, now replaced by a DJ's turntable. Pinkie herself had, during the transition, acquired an enchanting white dress and a somehow familiar-looking pair of purple shades. Without skipping a beat, she cried, "All right, everypony, let's really get this party started!"

As the music began, Discord magically dimmed the natural golden light in the room to create a better atmosphere. He extended a claw to Cheerilee, who, after a brief moment of shocked silence, allowed him to take her by the hoof, standing herself up on her hind legs. "All right, but it's been a while since I've done this," she said, wobbling slightly from the unfamiliar change in weight distribution. Without a word, Discord began to lead her in a surprisingly graceful series of dance steps, allowing her to easily follow his movements.

It didn't take long for the others to join in; Mr. Cake, whose usual apron had been replaced with a dashing white suit, pulled his wife out onto the dance floor and, letting loose his more suave side that he saved just for her, began a slow waltz that took them both back to their days as lovesick teenagers.

Blossomforth found herself dancing with an unusually enthusiastic Thunderlane, while Lyra and Bon Bon enjoyed an intimate minuet in a far corner of the room, away from most prying eyes. Even the usually timid Junebug wound up in a joyful embrace with the blissfully happy Dust Devil.

When Twilight Sparkle, who had been using the restroom, stepped back out into the party, her jaw dropped as she struggled to take in the figure of Discord dancing with Cheerilee. Upon noticing her, Discord, who was in the middle of spinning his partner, flashed over to Twilight's side; the very confused Cheerilee found that she was still being led by some unseen magical force.

"Twilight! Just in time!" Snapping once again, he dressed her in the same garments that Rarity had made for her to wear to the Grand Galloping Gala, the rips and tears in it having been miraculously repaired.

"How did you know about this?" asked Twilight, not at all angry but thoroughly mystified. "I haven't worn this dress since…"

"The Grand Galloping Gala," finished Discord, casting her a bemused glare. "Did you forget where that event takes place, Twilight Sparkle?"

She realized that Discord, who would have been a statue at the time, must have had a rather good view of the Gala from his position in the Canterlot Gardens. "I've been forced to watch that horribly dull night go by time after time, but I have to admit that the ruckus you and your friends stirred up last year really made my decade."

Twilight blushed at the memory of the botched night, quickly changing the subject back to the current state of Sugarcube Corner. "This doesn't seem at all like the kind of thing you would normally do, Discord." Casting her gaze over the party guests, each of them dancing happily to the beats that Pinkie had learned from Ponyville's resident unicorn DJ, she added, "It's… a nice surprise."

"Yes, well, I do understand the concept of being pleasant, Miss Sparkle, it's just something I never tried to do before." He looked over his shoulder at Cheerilee, who had been led by his magic into the happily inclined arms of Caramel, then back to Twilight. "Seems we both find ourselves without a dance partner."

Leaning so that he was more on her level, Discord extended his arms cordially, which, after a questioning glance and a resigned smile, Twilight accepted.

Princess Luna was surprised when she heard a knock on her bedroom door, as she didn't usually get visitors during the early morning, or at all, for that matter. When she opened it with magic, it was her sister who greeted her, looking unusually frazzled; her mane, which she usually made a point to keep in a magical state of perpetual flow, had several hairs sticking out at awkward angles.

"This came with the letter Twilight sent me this morning. It's addressed to you, and I believe I know who it's from." Luna saw that Celestia was levitating a scroll, leaning slightly away from it; the parchment had a large tag attached to it, which whipped relentlessly at Celestia's face. "I'll just… leave it here for you." After she tossed it onto Luna's bed, it ceased its flailing, allowing her to read the tag's writing: "To Luna- keep your snooping eyes off, Celestia!"

Her sister turned tail and trotted out of the room in a huff, making Luna giggle. It was always amusing to see the usually refined Celestia throw her little tantrums, which she only let show in front of her sister. Unrolling the parchment, she began to read what was obviously a report from Discord.

"Princess Luna - I've got your first report, just like you wanted. And here I bet you were thinking I would run off.

I learned, today, that friendship isn't quite as complicated of a concept as I had originally thought. Turns out that all it takes to be pals is a mutual understanding of one another, and no matter how different two fellows may be, they can still learn to treat each other as equals.

I've also learned that forgiveness is a part of the friendship process that happens naturally, as long as you're honest about it. Going to great lengths trying to make up for what you've done in the past is unnecessary, but that doesn't mean you should forget about your misdeeds completely, either.

Well, you got your letter, Luna. Don't expect me back in Canterlot for another few days, though, because I'm not even close to being finished with all my new Ponyville friends! If you need me, have Celestia send a letter to Twilight, I'll be around. Just don't waste my time by having me travel all the way back to the castle to open pickle jars, or anything dumb like that. You're a big girl, after all, and I'm sure you can take care of yourself.

Discord"

Setting the letter down, Luna found herself conflicted between being happy that Discord was finding success in making friends, and sympathy for the ponies he would undoubtedly be a heavy presence in the lives of for the next few days. No matter how well-intentioned he might be, the draconequus had a way of going overboard when he was excited. Good thing Twilight Sparkle and her friends had plenty of experience with the peculiar and bizarre.

Author's Note

Well, there's that light background shipping I warned you about. Rest assured, there will be plenty more of that to come. Anyways, the next chapter may not be out for a few days, but I can give you a little sneak peek by saying yes, it DOES involve Fluttershy, plus a certain group of unmarked fillies. As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to leave some of those sweet, sweet comments, which pretty much serve as my fuel for new chapters.

'The Evil Statue!'

Having been Equestria’s monarch for several millennia, Princess Celestia had reached a point in her life where her disposition rarely betrayed any emotion. The fact was that all throughout her extensive rule, she had never been faced with any challenge or threat that either she or her most gifted allies were incapable of dealing with. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t take her responsibility over her subjects seriously, of course, as their safety meant more to her than her own life, but after so many years of preserving harmony over the land, it was hard to imagine anything that could put an end to such prosperous times. One result of this was that Celestia did not allow any fear or anxiety she may hold towards the future of Equestria to show in her features or actions, unless such events were already well under way and it was obvious that the situation was dire.

What this meant for Princess Luna was that she was completely unable to decipher her sister’s feelings as the older Alicorn made ready for her departure from Canterlot. Even after so many years spent in each other’s company, Celestia’s true emotional state was a mystery to Luna, which she usually attributed to her own introverted tendencies.

“I won’t be gone for more than a few days,” said Celestia to her sister as the two of them stepped onto the central balcony of Canterlot Castle. Her chariot was at the ready, packed with the significant amount of luggage which the Princess had deemed necessary for her visit to the Crystal Empire. The additional bulk had convinced her to assign two extra Pegasus guards to draw the carriage, after she noticed the nervous glances of the usual chariot-pullers.

“Quite a bit of baggage for such a short trip,” observed Luna, a fact which was extrapolated when considering that hardly any of the packed items were clothing.

“Well, you know me,” was Celestia’s casual reply. “I like to be prepared.”

Again, Luna couldn’t discern whether her sister was hiding something from her. This news of a trip to the Crystal Empire, apparently at the request of Princess Cadance, had come so suddenly that Luna suspected a crisis situation was rearing its head, though Celestia insisted that her hasty departure was more a matter of excitement than urgency.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve seen my niece,” had been her words when Luna questioned her on her expedient parting. “I’m dying to catch up with her and Shining Armor. It would be lovely to see how the two are settling down after the wedding, not to mention that debacle with King Sombra.”

While her sister was away, it would be Luna’s responsibility to watch over Canterlot, not that such a thing demanded much effort. The Royal Capitol, along with the rest of Equestria, was mostly self-governed, requiring only occasional interventions from either Celestia or herself. All this meant for Luna is that she would have to work a double-shift for the next few days, making sure the kingdom was peaceful. She desperately hoped that the bags under her eyes wouldn’t return.

Bidding her sister farewell one final time, Celestia and her guards began to ascend into the sky, heading north for Equestria’s arctic region. Luna waved until they had faded into the distance, then set off for her tower.

Canterlot Castle felt surprisingly empty without Celestia, reminding Luna of how much presence her sister commanded; when Celestia was gone, so were all the delegates, financiers, and officials, not to mention the adoring subjects clamoring for her attention. Luna, it seemed, had no such fanatics, at least none that she knew of, due to her nocturnal nature and, of course, her very extended absence from the kingdom.

As a result, she now found herself with nothing to do and nopony to talk to. Resigning herself to the boredom of the next few days, she found herself wishing that her Draconequus student was here to liven things up a bit, and wondered what her eccentric friend was doing now.

“It’s so wonderful that the others accepted your apology. I knew they would like you if they just gave you a chance.”

“Fluttershy, my friend, you and your pony pals were absolutely right. Friendship truly is a wonderful thing, maybe even more so than chaos. Maybe.”

Despite having stayed there for only a short time, Discord felt oddly at home when he visited Fluttershy’s cottage. Even if he was making new friends throughout Ponyville, Fluttershy would always be his first and most cherished comrade, the one pony who had given him the chance to experience something more meaningful that spreading wanton confusion.

“Well, no matter how things turn out for you, you’ll always be welcome here,” she said. Fluttershy was truly happy that she had been able to turn Discord away from his life of villainy, but deep down was still afraid of the things he might be tempted to do in the event that he was unable to truly conform to a peaceful existence. She had already decided that, even if he began slipping back into his old habits, her door would remain open to him. It’s true that he had done horrible things in his lifetime, but Fluttershy stuck true to her belief that no one was completely evil, and if she could reform him once, she was confident that she could get him to see the light of day once again. Of course, she hoped it would never come to that. As it was, Discord seemed perfectly content with the idea of a harmonious existence.

Not everyone was glad to see Discord return, however. To Angel, all that mattered was that the spirit’s considerable form was, once again, taking up all the space on Fluttershy’s couch. Discord hardly noticed the rabbit kicking at his leg, but his nagging cries were enough to draw his attention.

“Angel! Don’t be rude!” scolded Fluttershy, flapping over to Discord’s side and pulling the rabbit away from him. From his owner’s arms, Angel growled at Discord, still remembering the clamor he had caused the last time Fluttershy had allowed him into their home.

“I’m terribly sorry about his behavior,” she apologized. “I forgot that Angel Bunny never saw you get reformed like the rest of us.”

“There’s no need for that,” offered Discord, giving Angel’s head a firm pat, which earned him another harsh glare. “It’s perfectly understandable that he might have some reservations about me, considering how horribly I acted last time I was your guest.” He pressed his cheek against Angel’s, prodding his nose and saying, “I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends in no time!,” then hastily withdrew as the rabbit made to bite him.

Discord snickered as Fluttershy reprimanded her pet once again; why should being reformed mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun at the expense of an overly-grumpy rabbit?

The three of them were roused from their conversation by a knock at the front door, which could be heard flying open a moment later, the visitor apparently finding it unnecessary to wait for a reply. Discord wondered whether he should hide himself, considering that, even if he was beginning to get into Ponyville’s good books, there were still any number of ponies who might jump to the wrong conclusions if they saw him in the presence of the most timid, helpless soul in Equestria.

“Fluttershy, darling! I do hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I’m afraid I had to depart a bit earlier than expected.”

Discord relaxed, immediately recognizing the voice of Rarity, the posh pony who had a thing for sparkling rocks. She, at least, knew of his reformation, though it was true he hadn’t had any sort of contact with her since that occasion. He didn’t recall her being at his welcoming party the other day, so there was no telling whether she had heard of his return to Ponyville through the grapevine.

Fluttershy flew into the other room to welcome her friend, setting Angel on the ground as she did so. The rabbit glowered at Discord once more before disappearing through a hole in the wall, and Discord made a mental note to think up a creative way to get back at the little pest the next time he came across him.

In the entrance room, Discord could hear Fluttershy in conversation with Rarity, choosing not to poke his head into the scene just yet, but rather waiting for it to become obvious that he wasn’t antagonizing Fluttershy in any way.

“I’d almost forgotten that you were coming by,” said Fluttershy in a voice that was even more apologetic than her already rueful tone. “Please, come inside. I have a guest over right now, but I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

“Oh, really?” said Rarity, her voice drawing closer as two sets of hooves proceeded in his direction. “A he, did you say? Did you finally take my advice and introduce yourself to that charming young stallion we met at the spaaa-” Rarity’s statement turned to a shocked exclamation as she rounded the corner came face-to-face with Discord, who sat with his chin resting casually on his fist, waving calmly to her.

“Good morning!” he said cheerfully, fully expecting an outburst. To his surprise, Rarity choked down her shock and returned his greeting with a genial wave of her hoof, giving him the most genuine smile she could manage.

“Discord!” she said, and he was aware that this was the first time she had ever stated his name with a sense of warmth, rather than spitting it like she usually did. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

This was the first time anypony had been so quick to welcome Discord, with the exception of Fluttershy, which seemed unusual, given what he knew of Rarity’s disposition. “My being here doesn’t bother you?”

“It’s a… bit unexpected, to be sure, but you’re our friend now, and I welcome you as I would any of our other companions.” Discord took a moment to absorb her words. It always threw him for a loop when somepony gave him their first words of kindness, as opposed to the usual spiteful speech he had become accustomed to.

“Well, I would love to stay and catch up,” said Rarity, and Discord was touched by the honesty he felt in her statement, “but I really must be off to the train station if I’m to catch the eleven o’clock to Tall Tale. I simply cannot afford to miss the opportunity to display my latest fashion line at their weekend fair.”

“Eeyup. Speakin’ a’ which,” called a deeper voice from outside, “We need to get goin’ right quick if you’re gonna make it. We’re runnin’ late as it is.”

Peeking out the window, Discord caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar pony, a large, red stallion with a green apple cutie mark. The worker’s yoke around his neck was hooked up to a cart vastly overloaded with flashy bags, each of which was emblazoned with three blue gems, identifying them as belonging to Rarity.

“Oh! Right, took me longer than I expected to get all of my luggage packed this morning,” said Rarity. “Applejack was kind enough to let me steal Big McIntosh away from his work to help me to the station, and he’s proven exceptionally usefully with his punctuality.” In a whisper that Discord couldn’t help overhearing, she added, “Not to mention those strong legs of his,” instantly reddening Fluttershy’s cheeks.

“Anyhow, I can’t thank you enough for helping me. Applejack offered to watch the girls, but they insisted on staying with you. It seems you made quite the impression on them last time they were here.”

“It’s no problem at all,” assured Fluttershy, recovering from her embarrassment. Discord was confused for a moment, and checked outside once more; that Big McIntosh fellow was the only one waiting outside, so who were they talking about?

His thoughts were interrupted by a clamoring cacophony coming from somewhere in Fluttershy’s yard. Rarity immediately galloped outside to investigate, and a moment later, Discord heard her shout, “Girls! Out of Fluttershy’s chicken coop, this instant!”

Discord craned his neck in an attempt to see the object of Rarity’s irritation through the window. Failing to do so even with his face pressed against the glass, he then proceeded to phase his head though the window, extending himself to his mid-neck outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, the glass taking a flowing liquid form where he jutted though it.

Three fillies emerged from the chicken coop, covered in feathers but apparently none worse for the wear, as they were all grinning from ear to ear. The trio was instantly familiar to Discord, though he couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before. Judging from the saddlebags they each wore, it looked as if they were prepared for an extended stay.

“Sorry, sis,” said one, a white unicorn who bore a passing resemblance to Rarity, whom he inferred was her sister. “We were just checking on the chickens to make sure there were no cocka-thingies like last time. Cutie Mark Crusaders Coop Inspectors!” Though she clearly meant it as a joke, she habitually gave a half-glance at her flank, which Discord noticed that, along with those of the other fillies, lacked a cutie mark.

Grimacing, Rarity brushed some of the down from her sister’s mane, saying, “Honestly, Sweetie Belle. Do you have any idea the kind of filth chickens carry around?” The other two fillies began to giggle softy as Sweetie Belle blushed.

Big McIntosh cleared his throat loudly, digging at the ground with his hoof. The yellow filly, who spoke with the same accent as the stallion, said, “Y’all best be getting’ on yer way! Take care with Rarity’s stuff, big brother!” Almost inaudibly, Sweetie Belle added, “She’ll bite your head off if you don’t.”

Rarity gave her sister a quick squeeze, then set off with her muzzle in the air, calling back, “Goodbye! I’ll see you all in a few days!”

Big McIntosh turned to follow her, then looked back at the fillies and paused for a moment. “Now, y’all better not cause any trouble for Miss Fluttershy like ya did last time,” he said, in a tone that was serious, but not unkind. “That goes double fer you, Apple Bloom. No leadin’ any wild crusades today, or it’ll be double chores for a week.”

“Me?” said Apple Bloom, pretending to be insulted. “But Scootaloo’s the one who does all the dangerous stuff!”

The orange filly, who until that moment had seemed wholly uninterested in the exchange, suddenly rounded on her friend. “Hey, trying to get our cutie marks by being bull riders was your idea!”

Big Mac raised an eyebrow at the girls, before casting an unsure glance at Fluttershy.

“Really, they’re no trouble,” she assured him, though gears began to turn in her head as she realized that she would soon be left alone with not just three, but four of the wildest creatures in Equestria. She glanced back to the window, where Discord, who had escaped anypony’s notice until now, quickly pulled his head back inside.

Fluttershy had failed to mention anything about looking after three fillies, which meant that Discord’s sudden appearance earlier that morning probably had caused her to forget all about it. He wondered whether it would be polite to remove himself from the premises before the sight of him drove the young ponies to hysterics. Hearing Fluttershy’s hoofsteps as she re-entered the cottage, along with three other sets of legs, he prepared to teleport away, but found himself rooted to the spot by his curiosity. He knew those three from somewhere, and his mind wouldn’t let him forget about them until he remembered where.

“Now, girls, there’s someone I want you to meet,” said Fluttershy, having stopped before entering the room where Discord waited. “He’s… a little unusual, but I promise, he’s very sweet once you get to know him.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up as she leaped directly to the wrong conclusion. “Fluttershy,” she said, leaning forward with excitement, “You finally found your very special somepony! Is it the stallion from the spa my sister’s always asking you about?”

“Wh- a-” Fluttershy stammered for several seconds, finally forming the half-sentence, “H-how do you know about…?”

“Oh, we can hear everything you guys are saying whenever you’re at Carousel Boutique,” said Scootaloo unabashedly, bucking her saddlebags onto the couch. “Rarity probably doesn’t even know, but the walls in that place are super thin.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom followed her lead, tossing their things onto Fluttershy’s furniture. Without waiting for Fluttershy’s approval, the trio began trotting into the room where Discord stood, wondering whether scaring the hooves off of three little fillies would be reason enough for Luna and Celestia to pull him back into Canterlot.

When they first laid eyes upon his harlequin features, the girls looked almost confused, as if they were wondering why Fluttershy would have bought such a bizarre-looking statue and moved it into her living room. It wasn’t until Discord blinked, after several seconds of silence, that he received the reaction he was expecting: the three fillies simultaneously let out terrified shrieks and darted for cover behind Fluttershy’s wardrobe, peeking their wide-eyed faces out.

Following this display, Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at Discord, shouting, “It’s the evil statue!”

“You mean the chaos statue,” corrected Scootaloo, prompting Apple Bloom to add, “No, it’s the confusion statue!”

With those words, it finally clicked in Discord’s mind where he remembered the children from. By the time Fluttershy paced cautiously into the room, Discord had already flashed behind the three fillies and swept them up into a ferocious squeeze that left them gasping for air. When he set them back down, they were too stunned to move, though Sweetie Belle did wobble precariously as if she were about to keel over.

“I rememeber you three!” he said, “You’re the little fillies whose arguing gave me the push-start I needed to wake up and rid myself of that accursed stone!” He bent over, making himself eye level with each of them, and looked from one terrified face to the next, grinning from ear to ear. “If it wasn’t for your little display of disharmony, it might’ve been months, even years, before I realized that the Elements of Harmony weren’t restraining me anymore. After so much time, I’d given up on even trying to force my way out, but you three-” he laughed, sending chills down the girls’ spines “-well, you’ve done me quite a service.”

“Um… Discord?” said Fluttershy, noticing with alarm that Apple Bloom’s coat was beginning to match the color of Sweetie Belle’s. “I think you might have come on a little strong.”

It took Fluttershy’s continuous praise for her new friend, plus her assurance that Twilight had the Elements of Harmony on hand if the need should arise to use them, to calm the girls down to the point that they were willing to sit in the same room as Discord. Even so, they couldn’t take their eyes off of him, staring with a mixture of fear and wonder.

“All he wants is to make some friends,” said Fluttershy for the fifth time, taking Discord’s eagle claw in her hooves. “I know he may look scary - I thought so, too, at first - but he’s really just a big, loveable softie once you get to know him.”

Well, that was certainly the first time anypony had described him that way, thought Discord, giving the girls the friendliest, most non-threatening smile he could manage - though, admittedly, it was hard not to look intimidating with a face like his, especially to three fillies.

“Wait a minute,” said Sweetie Belle scrunching up her face in confusion, “Fluttershy, you’re dating the evil statue?”

Fluttershy looked from Sweetie to Discord, then quickly released her hold on his talon, face turning pink as embarrasment took her yet again. “Oh, no, no, it’s not like that at all,” she said, stammering as she wondered how it was these kids were so good at making her struggle for words.

“Fluttershy and I are, er... just friends,” said Discord, sparing her the need to say it herself, and she visibly relaxed. Honestly, he hardly knew a thing about romance, but he was certain whatever he had with Equestria's most timid pegasus was far from such a relationship. “In fact, Fluttershy here was my first friend, the one who made me see how wonderful of a thing it could be.”

“Oh,” said Sweetie Belle, her face clearing up into a good-natured grin. “That’s good. I bet the guy from the spa would be really upset if Fluttershy started seeing somepony else.”

Discord raised an eyebrow, surprised at how quickly the little unicorn seemed to have gotten over her supposed fear of ‘the evil statue.’ Was everypony in this town so quick to offer their forgiveness?

“So, if you’re not using your magic to create chaos,” said Apple Bloom, warming up to the idea of a friend who could manipulate space and time, “does that mean you’re using it to help ponies now?”

Discord considered this for a moment. “Well, yes, I would like to use my magic for the benefit of Equestria, but… honestly, I haven’t really found any way to do that yet.” His magic was, after all, inherently malicious, and he’d never even attempted to use it towards a benevolent goal.

“Wait…” said Scootaloo, who began to pick up on Apple Bloom’s plan. “Your magic is like, crazy awesome, break-the-rules-of-the-universe type magic, right?”

A light seemed to go on in Fluttershy’s head, her demeanor suddenly turning completely serious. “No, girls. Forget about it. You couldn’t ask Discord to do something like that.”

The fillies each let out a groan, and Discord felt as if he was missing something. “Ask me to do… what, exactly?”

“The girls have a little hobby they like to pursue in their spare time,” said Fluttershy, looking as though she had recalled some painful memory, “But, sometimes they get a little carried away with it…”

Scootaloo seemed to take offense at this, suddenly leaping onto the couch and puffing out her chest. “It’s not just a hobby!” she said, “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we’ll never stop adventuring until we’ve found our special talents!”

The other girls quickly responded by flanking Scootaloo on either side, matching her heroic pose, and Discord had a mental image of a sunburst surrounding the trio, wind ruffling their manes, while a fanfare of trumpets played in the background.

"So, let me get this straight..." he said, narrowing his eyes, "You want me to use my chaos magic to give you three your cutie marks?"

Before he had time to react, Discord found himself bombarded by the bodies of the fillies, whom he just managed to catch in a bear hug before they fell to the floor. Simultaneously, they turned their enormous eyes on him in their well-practiced pleading expressions, accentuated by three adorable cries of, "Pleeeeaaaaaase?"

When it came to cuteness, Discord had very little experience, usually preferring to turn such creatures into twisted monstrosities. He had to admit, however, that the longing in the girls' faces was having quite an effect on him, and he was able to add yet another new emotion to his list, which he had no name for, but decided to refer to as "Awwwwww!"

"Well..." he began, and the Crusaders inched their faces closer, bringing Discord the closest to a squee he'd ever been. He hated to dash the hopes of the little girls, but he was well aware that altering the ingrained magic of the spirit was something even he had trouble with, and trying to force their talents to light would more than likely bring any number of unpleasant side-effects.

"It's not as simple as that," he said, and the Crusaders' expressions immediately turned crestfallen; Discord gently set them back down on the ground, where they began to mope about dejectedly, occasionally kicking at the ground.

He looked to Fluttershy, who seemed to be trying her best not to give into the girls' display, but she, like him, was no match for the power of three staggeringly cute fillies. "... not even my magic can force such a thing to happen, but..." Sweetie Belle glanced up at him, her lower lip quivering.

"... I suppose that... I can try to find some other way to help..."

Without skipping a beat, Sweetie Belle's gloom cleared, and she began bouncing giddily, saying, "That's it! He can help us go crusading!"

"Wh... a-" Discord looked from one filly to the next, all of whom seemed to have miraculously recovered from their despair. "Why, with his magic," said Apple Bloom, "We'd have all sorts a' new ways to try an' find our special gifts!"

This wasn't exactly what Discord had been implying, but as the three girls simultaneously hugged him around the waist, he found himself completely unable to object to their proposal.

A moment later, he was giving Fluttershy a dumbstruck look, which she returned in full, as the Cutie Mark Crusaders pushed him out the front door, chattering excitedly as Discord realized that he had just been overpowered by three school fillies.

Author's Note

Fun fact: apparently, the only word my computer can find to auto-correct 'Scootaloo' to is 'Tuscaloosa.'

Anyways, in regards to the comments saying that the ponies are too quick to accept Discord... yeah. Unfortunately, I admit that I was sort of trying to get that part out of the way to make room for the bigger ideas I have for this story. Trust me, it's going to earn its Adventure tag eventually.