//------------------------------//
// Finals 
// Story: Twilight Sparkle's School of Harmony 
// by Venates 
//------------------------------//

	Discord cackled as he added spice to the school's chaos gumbo. He cracked his knuckles and the phoenix pair froze. Another twist and the timberpups lost their legs and writhed in the grass. A whip of his tail and home appliances fell from the sky. Rainbow Dash only just barely scooped up Once before a kitchen sink fell where he sat crying. 
"Discord?!" Rainbow snarled angrily as she sped around obstacles. She dropped Once near Vroom and Street, who long since settled their feud regarding Vroom's blanket. "What in the hay are you doing here?!"
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, please," replied Discord, twirling through the air. He gave his back a nasty twist and Rainbow's head and tail switched places. She yelped and her legs flailed as she tried to grasp the situation. "Look around you!" Discord continued as Rainbow sped past him, missing her mark by a mile. "Well, look where you're able to. It's as though you wanted me show up!" He wiped a tear-shaped stone from his eye. "I'm touched."
Applejack dropped Sullen and Roly from her back near the others. "This ain't funny, Discord!" she yelled up at the spirit. Then, turning to the students, she said, "Stay here, stay quiet, and stay together. We'll take care of this." Pinkie galloped up to them with Tootie dangling from her mouth like a kitten. She dropped Tootie in stride and joined Applejack's run toward Discord. The students huddled closer as they watched with wide eyes.
"Fluttershy!" Applejack yelled. "Can't you talk to this guy?!"
Fluttershy stopped midair, halfway between Discord and Whoopsie's monster. She looked between them, caught between a rock and a hard place. She gave a last look to Whoopsie, perched on his creation as it rumbled into the forest. He was giggling innocently while enjoying his ride. Fluttershy grit her teeth and sped back toward the chaos king.
"Discord!" Fluttershy scolded, coming to a halt in front of him. "This is no time for you to be doing this!"
"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I beg to differ," said Discord. He snapped his fingers and Fluttershy's ears grew several yards taller. Discord just barely managed to flick a paper triangle between them before she collapsed to the ground, her balance askew. "The way you ponies set this up for me, just," he gave a gracious sigh. "It's just so kind of you."
"Leave her alone!" shouted Rainbow Dash, grounded and awkwardly making her way back toward him. Discord spun a finger and Dash reversed direction. She stumbled after two more steps.
Discord chuckled, but stopped when he felt a hard tug on his tail. He looked to see a rope tethering him to Applejack's mouth, and Pinkie Pie adding her own weight on top of it.
"Really, now," Discord said, irritable, "where do you even keep a rope?"
"Pull, Pinkie!"
Discord remained stationary in the air, a flat look on his face. He groaned, disappeared, and reappeared on the ground. Applejack and Pinkie bowled over from the sudden absence of tension in their rope.
"You know, I didn't have to come!" Discord said, throwing his hands in the air.
"Then you shouldn'ta!" shouted Applejack from underneath Pinkie's collapsed body.
Discord flicked a claw onto his chest. "Now that burns, Applejack," he said to her. He snapped his less-dramatic hand and the phoenixes cracked back to life. He wiggled his toes and suddenly the fire birds were now in place of Pinkie and Applejack's manes. Both mares gave shrieks of fear as they scrambled to their hooves and ran, confused manes flapping in the wind behind them.
Meanwhile, six students shuddered together from afar, watching the whole ordeal. They could only just barely make out three more figures joining the mayhem. In a matter of seconds, a white figure was bouncing around like an inflated balloon, a smaller purple figure walked backwards into the school at twice the velocity he left, and a taller purple figure floated into the air and started emitting several different colors of light at a rapid pace.
The fillies and colts had trouble finding words.
Roly swallowed. "We..." He swallowed again. "We gotta do something."
"Are you kidding?!" asked Street. He broke his awestruck gaze to give Roly an incredulous look. "What are we supposed to do against that?!"
"I don't know," Roly admitted, looking at the ground. "But shouldn't we at least try?"
Vroom shook her head. "You heard Miss Applejack! We're supposed to stay away from all of this!"
"But... But..." Roly's eyes traced the ground as he thought. "But this is our school! And we've been learning all about harmony and stuff!"
"It's only a day-long school!" Once piped, his knees shaking.
Tootie spoke next. "I'm with Once! If our teachers can't handle this, what chance do we have?"
Roly shook his head. "I don't know... Sullen, what do you think?"
Sullen did not answer.
Sullen was not there.
Sullen was halfway across the field, running straight toward Discord and his antics.
"Sullen!" yelled Street. He took off after his classmate. The others exchanged glances before doing the same, one-by-one, legless timberpups nipping at their heels as they passed.
Discord laughed as he watched Twilight spin through the air, basking in her glow. "Oh, Twilight," he told her, "you really do sparkle!"
"Hey."
Discord froze and blinked. He looked down to see the sternest face ever worn by a colt.
"You're being a jerk," Sullen finished.
Discord blinked a few more times before rearing back into a powerful guffaw. Sullen's teachers all made to tell or motion him to run away, but found their attempts hindered by their predicaments.
"Oh ho ho ho!" Discord clutched at his sides. "Oh, that tickles me more than anything I've seen today! And I just watched Rainbow Dash burp!"
"I'm serious," stated Sullen with a stamp of his hoof. Discord arched forward to get a better look at the tiny pony before him. Sullen continued, "All this stuff you're doing... It's not funny. I'm not laughing. They–" Sullen motioned to his teachers in various states of impaired locomotion. "–are not laughing... You're just being a bully."
"Well, look at you, coming to rain on my parade," Discord said, annoyed. He lowered his head further and squinted. "Maybe you're being a bully too. Maybe there's only room here for one bully."
"Hey!" another voice called.
"Well, now, what have we here?" asked Discord looking up.
Street Smarts ran up and stood in front of Sullen Stare.
"You leave him alone!" he piped.
As Twilight's face rolled into view, she opened her mouth to speak before instantly closing it, her cheeks puffing, and her face turning green.
"Uh-oh!" mocked Discord, hand rising to his mouth. "Did I upset another friend? Has he told you he's a bully?"
"You don't even know Sullen!" shouted Street, standing tall. Sullen looked on from behind, an eyebrow raised.
Discord snorted. A scroll and a pair of reading glasses materialized. He put on the scroll and read the glasses. "From what I recall," he said matter-of-factly, "this is a one-day school. I bet you don't even know him." Discord's props vanished back into the abyss.
"I know he's a great hoofball player!" countered Street. "And he's from Hollow Shades, and he's got black hair, and–"
"Alright, alright," Discord said, flailing a paw. "I can tell you're just best friends."
"We haven't been here long," said Roly, panting as he joined the conversation, "but we've been learning a lot!"
Rarity exchanged a worried glance with Fluttershy as she bounced by.
"Now this I need to hear!" Discord lowered himself down to his elbows, level with the colts in front of him. "Tell me: what have Twilight and her friends taught to you?"
"That's there's magic everywhere!" Roly said proudly. "That you can find it... uh... everywhere!" Discord smirked, and Roly continued, "In big and small moments!"
Discord chuckled and flicked Roly's nose. Roly stumbled back into Sullen and Street, who stopped him from falling. "Dear child," Discord whispered malevolently, "you are a small moment."
"Well you're still a big bully!" Sullen squeaked.
"Yeah!" joined Street. "You big, stupid, mean–!"
"Fat–!"
"Ugly–!"
"Booger-headed–!"
"Piece of–!"
Discord's lips curled back, half in amusement and half spite. He raised his fingers threateningly, but stopped when yet another voice made itself heard.
"Stop it, you guys!"
"Oh, what now?" Discord sighed, ears dropping.
Tootie ran up and set herself between the colts and Discord, but facing the opposite direction of her classmates with hooves outstretched.
"What are you doing, Tootie?!" Street asked incredulously.
"You guys are being mean!" she answered.
Three boyish jaws dropped.
"Are you kidding me?!" Sullen screeched. He jabbed a hoof at Discord. "So is he!"
Tootie shook her head as Discord looked at her with curiosity. "That doesn't matter!" said Tootie. "Being mean is just going to make everypony keep being meaner, and–" she glanced back at Fluttershy, who was tripping over her ears trying to turn toward the commotion behind her. "–And even Discord has feelings too!"
Discord said nothing, but folded his arms and continued staring at the filly. Tootie turned around to face him.
"I bet you just wanted be here, huh?" Tootie asked. "With your friends."
Discord raised a contemplative claw to his mouth. "Well, yes, actually, now that you mention it." He leaned in closer to Tootie. "You know, it's never any fun how they keep leaving me out of things like this." He looked up in thought. "Well, maybe it doesn't mean much to them, but–"
A small burst of air crept out of Discord's mouth as his lungs contracted. He looked down to see Tootie with her forelegs around his midsection.
"I... erm..."
Tootie squeezed harder. The colts behind her stared.
"I..." Discord sighed. He bent low to return the hug. "Thank you," he whispered to Tootie. He looked around and took in the sight of his actions. Spike was having a reverse conversation by himself in what was left of the school. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were running circles trying to avoid flames erupting from their necks. Fluttershy could barely lift her head from the ground. Rarity's legs flailed as she tried to bounce somewhere safe. Rainbow finally got to her hooves again, only to squat directly onto her face. Twilight swallowed and turned greener, and not from Discord's magic.
Discord sighed. "Perhaps..." He licked his lips. "Perhaps I was a bit... inconsiderate in my additions to today's proceedings. I–" Discord sighed again. For once, he had no words to speak. A soothing warmth shrouded his wings. He looked up to see Vroom flying and smiling at him. He turned his neck to see a tiny blue blanket draped over him.
"You ponies..."
Discord closed his eyes and lowered his head all the way to the ground. He felt a tap on his cheek. Discord turned and peered at a sixth pony, this one tinier than the rest. Once Bitten gave a small wave before smooshing his face together with two hooves.
Discord blinked.
And then he laughed.
Hard.
Discord laughed, chuckled, guffawed, and chortled. He didn't giggle though, weirdly enough. After a beat, the fillies and colts around him joined in, his rhythmic tones infectious. Without warning, they all found themselves clasped in his arms.
"Oh, you ponies!" he exclaimed over his hug. "Perhaps there's some hope for you yet!" He released the tykes and rose into the air. With one mighty snap, two timberpups regained their legs and raced into the trees, and two untethered phoenixes did the same, one snatching up an egg as they went. Rarity deflated, Twilight eased down and turned monochromatic, and Fluttershy's fulcrum returned to normal. Applejack, Pinkie, and Spike, free from their own curses, raced toward the rest of their friends. The teachers galloped to their students and inspected every inch of them, speaking rapidly and checking for any leftover abnormalities. As Discord landed, Twilight and her friends herded the fillies and colts behind a barrier made with their own bodies. Discord approached them slowly, eyes closed and arms behind his back.
"Twilight Sparkle," addressed Discord as his pace neared her. Twilight and her friends glared and braced themselves against the ground. They hesitated when Discord went into a deep bow. "I am sorry," he said simply, yet earnestly. "Please accept my sincere apology."
Twilight glanced around at her friends before stepping forward. "Apology... accepted," she said. Discord quickly rose, grinning until Twilight clarified, "Tentatively. As penance, you'll need to help us rebuild the school."
Discord's eyebrows furrowed as he threw his arms in the direction of pure rubble. "That was like that when I got here!" he protested.
Twilight shook her head. "It doesn't change the fact that–" Her eyes shot wide. "Wait... Where's Whoopsie?"
Discord scratched his head while the ponies before him looked around in all directions. Fluttershy mumbled something and pointed toward the tree line. There Whoopsie sat, happily snacking on a perfectly ordinary apple.



"And... send."
"Are you sure, Twilight?"
"I am, Spike. Fire away."
Spike drew a deep breath and incinerated a newly penned scroll. He watched as its embers floated to the horizon. He turned and squinted in the setting sun, and followed Twilight toward a lonely train station.
A very short train stood waiting as seven tiny faces crammed into its windows. The students waved farewell to their teachers, and the five ponies outside waved back fondly, wearing proud yet melancholy smiles. Discord waved a handkerchief vigorously just a few paces behind them. Twilight walked up the train's engine, smiling and returning the waves also directed at her.
She approached the stallion at the front of the train. "Are you the conductor?" she asked.
"Sho' am!" the stallion said, puffing out his chest. "What can I do you fer?"
Twilight twirled a hoof in front of her. "You wouldn't happen to be the same conductor from this morning, would you?"
The stallion nodded vigorously. "I am indeed, missy!"
In an instant, Twilight reached out, grabbed the stallion by his overalls, and yanked him to a point their eyes met. "Did you see Ting's parents?!" Twilight said rapidly.
"I... uh... what?"
"Were they both there when you picked him up?! What did they look like?!" Unseen until now, Rainbow Dash and Applejack looped two hooves through Twilight's forelegs and drug her away from the befuddled conductor. "HOW MANY HORNS DID HIS FATHER HAVE?!"
The conductor scratched his head a few times before shrugging and pulling on a lever. The train jolted forward, then slowly began its course down the tracks. He turned behind him to see a few young faces peering at him through the lone car's front window, pumping their hooves. He smiled and tugged a rope, and his train bellowed. The sound drowned out the cheers coming from the car behind him.
Meanwhile, six ponies, a dragon, and a draconequus watched the train disappear into the distance.
"Well... I guess that's that," said Applejack, breaking the silence.
"It was rather enjoyable, looking back, don't you think?" asked Rarity, turning and walking toward the school. The others followed her lead.
"I had a ton of fun!" Pinkie agreed, bouncing along.
"It kicked all kinds of tail!" Rainbow Dash added, floating and doing a few flips above them.
"Um," Fluttershy mumbled, "It was... nice."
Twilight grumbled, "That was the worst day of my life."
The others looked at her as they walked.
"Yeah, that tanked," said Rainbow.
"Horrid," echoed Rarity.
"Yep, pretty much," said Applejack.
Fluttershy hummed her agreement.
Pinkie shrugged mid-bounce and continued smiling.
"I thought you all did wonderful!" chimed Discord bringing up the rear. "Those tykes really stepped up to the plate for their final exam!"
Twilight froze in place and didn't budge, even after both Applejack and Fluttershy ran into her. She turned on Discord. "What final exam?!" she asked.
"You know," said Discord, waving a claw, "Blah blah harmony, blah blah chaos, yadda yadda friendship is magic." He poofed a scroll into existence. "It's all right here in this letter I purposefully never sent."
"You... WHAT?!"
"My, my, though," Discord tutted as he stuffed the scroll into a newly minted pocket. "I didn't think you had that much faith in them. I mean, phoenixes and timberwolves?" He slapped a paw up to his forehead. "And what in the world was that big... apple... animal... thing? I mean, bra-vo!"
Twilight snarled and opened her mouth wide to retort. In that moment, Spike belched an eruption of fire straight at her. She gagged, and after a few smacks from Rainbow Dash, Twilight spit up yet another scroll.
"It's... a reply... from the princess..." she huffed.
"No kidding," said Rainbow, giving Twilight a few softer pats on the back. The others circled in closer. "What's it say?"
Twilight opened the scroll and cleared her throat in a few different ways before reading. "It says... she's happy to hear that our first class performed so admirably." Twilight shot Discord a glare before continuing. "She says that she's very proud of us, and can't wait to see how well we do with our... next... class..."
"Uh..." Applejack took a hesitant step forward. "We're actually going to do more than one of these things?"
"Yippie-skippie!" cheered Pinkie Pie.
"I, er, uh, I mean," said Rarity, head changing direction with each thought. After settling on one, she finished, "I suppose we... could take another class... maybe? At the very least, we have an idea now of what to expect."
"Yeah, and what not to do," added Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy nodded.
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know... This really felt like a disaster. And we've only just started cleaning up the school! Maybe we should ask for a little time first."
"Uh... Twilight?" The princess turned to see Spike hesitantly pointing toward the scroll in her hoof. He swallowed. "There's, uh... more on the back."
A small lump on Twilight's stomach showed where her heart dropped. She turned her letter over as though she were diffusing a bomb. Amidst several superfluous words, one sentence stood out more than any other.
"I will be sending you seventy-four more students come morning."
Rarity blinked. "I... whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!"
Applejack shook her head. "Uh-uh."
"No way!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
"I, um..." Fluttershy hid behind her mane. "I'd rather not..."
Twilight threw her letter up into the air. Her eyes were wide, pupils minuscule, and smile unnerving. "Too late, girls, we're doing it! Time to fix the school!" Twilight resumed her trot toward the ruined academy, her gait mechanical. Exchanging worried glances, the others trotted to keep up. Twilight stopped in front of the leftover carnage, expression unchanging.
"Here, Twilight, allow me," Discord said, stepping forward. "I mean, it's the least I can do." With a snap of his fingers, bricks and mortar flew from acres around, and in a matter of seconds, their school once again stood tall. The only difference was the name emblazoned over the school's entrance. 
Twilight Sparkle's School of Kindness
"I think it has a better ring to it, don't you?" commented Discord. He smirked at the sight of Fluttershy's hoof covering her mouth.
Twilight didn't look as though she noticed any change. She slowly and methodically lowered herself to the ground. Then, satisfied with the distance, promptly punched a new hole into the dirt with her horn.
"Well, I like it," said Discord with a shrug.