//------------------------------//
// A Party in the Works 
// Story: Today's Her What? 
// by MLP Fangirl 
//------------------------------//

The Palace of Friendship usually wasn't a busy place. Since Princess Twilight had no royal staff or a royal guard, the castle was relatively quiet.

But, not today.

The Element Bearers were scrambling all over the castle, trying to get the place ready for Twilight's surprise party.

And, Discord being in charge of the planning made him incredibly busy as well.

Discord floated through the air, a checklist in his paws. He had seen Twilight make one a bunch of times, so he tried making one himself.

"Let's see. First on the party planning agenda: Surprise Twilight."

He blinked, then squinted at the writing, "That can't be right. She's not even coming back until tomorrow."

He tore off the paper and crinkled it up then snapped his fingers, making it disappear.

He sighed, "Note to self. Don't try making a checklist again. The Spirit of Chaos using something to organize? What was I thinking? I'll have Spike handle it for me. Spike!"

Spike's voice echoed from down the hall, "What do you want, Discord?"

"I need you to be my checklist buddy. I'm not real good at it."

The sound of little feet pattered against the crystal floor.

Spike came running towards Discord, a checklist in one claw and a quill in the other.

He smirked, "I had a feeling you'd need help with that, so I took the liberty of making one up for you. Lucky for you, I've had plenty of experience when it comes to making checklists."

Discord chuckled, "And, that's the exact reason I asked for you. So, dragonboy, what's first on the list?"

Spike looked down at the clipboard, "Let's see. First, we should check on the Cakes. They're baking Twilight's cake."

Discord grinned, "Checking on food, first? I like how you think, Spike."

With a snap of his fingers, the two quickly found themselves standing in front of Sugarcube Corner.

Spike raised an eyebrow, looking up at Discord, "Why didn't you just teleport inside like you usually do?"

The draconequus shrugged, "Twi says I should stop suddenly appearing everywhere. It's not as entertaining, but I'm willing to listen to her. Mostly."

The purple dragon chuckled, "Well, I'm glad you took her advice."

The two entered the sweet shop, causing the bell to ring.

Mrs. Cake was up at the counter with Baby Pumpkin on her back.

She looked towards the door to see Discord and Spike coming inside.

"Oh, Mr. Discord! Spike! Come on in." She waved a hoof, gesturing for them to come over.

Discord floated over to the counter, "It's just Discord, Mrs. Cake. 'Mr.' makes me sound like some sort of elementary school teacher. Blech!" He stuck his tongue out.

Mrs. Cake bowed her head, "Oh, sorry, Mr. - I mean, sorry, Discord."

"There's no need to be so tense, Mrs. Cake." Spike climbed up Discord's back then hopped up onto the counter. "Discord's cool now. You can trust him."

Discord nodded, a grateful smile on his face, "Thanks, Spike. You have no need to be afraid, Mrs. Cake. We're just here to check up on Princess Twilight's cake, if you don't mind."

Her concerned expression softened. She let out a sigh, a small smile on her face. "Oh, yes, of course. I apologize."

At that moment , Pumpkin began sucking on her mother's ear.

Mrs. Cake cringed, "Pumpkin honey, please let go of Mommy's ear."

The little unicorn gave a cute giggle, which was mumbled due to her mouth being full.

Discord placed his paw on his hip and raised his eagle claw, "Allow me." He snapped his finger, and a pacifier suddenly found itself in Pumpkin's mouth.

The baby unicorn looked at it oddly for a moment but then realized she liked it and began sucking to her heart's content.

Mrs. Cake looked at her pacified baby. She chuckled, "I can't believe we never tried that. Thank you, Discord."

Discord smiled, "Think nothing of it. Now, about that cake?"


~~~~~


"Now, that is a cute cake." Discord stated affectionately as he looked at the cake.

A picture of Twilight smiling happily with her wings spread out covered the birthday cake.

Mr. Cake chuckled, "Glad you think so. And, it's buttercream frosting, Princess Twilight's favorite."

Spike licked his lips, reaching a claw out, "And mine."

Discord smacked his little claw away, "Spike."

"But, it's buttercream frosting!" He held out his claws in front of him.

"And, it's for Twilight." Discord raised an eyebrow.

Spike sighed, "And, it's for Twilight." He took another look at the cake and sighed again. "Fine. Let's get it into the fridge back at the castle."

Discord took the silver platter in his mismatched hands.

"Why don't you just teleport it?"

Discord shrugged, "Well, I don't know about you, Spike, but I feel like walking today. I hardly ever walk, and I could use some Vitamin D."

Spike stared at him for a few seconds then shrugged, "Whatever."

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. We'll make sure this cake's taken care of." Discord smirked, waving a paw.

Mr. Cake waved a hoof, "We hope you do. Greet the princess for us."

"Will do."

With that, Spike and Discord began the journey back to the palace.

Discord breathed in a whiff of fresh air, "Ah, now that is refreshing. You know, I really should get out more. Twi and I are definitely going to be having more picnic dates in the future."

As the two neared the castle, they ran into Daisy. Literally.

The cake slipped out of Discord's hands and into the air.

Spike gasped, grasping his head in panic, "The cake! Discord, save it!"

Discord calmly picked himself off, dusting his fur, "Oh, cool your scales, Spike. It's fine. Look." He gave a smug grin as the cake floated in midair.

Spike wiped his brow, "Phew. That would've been a disaster. Never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing you're the Spirit of Chaos."

Discord rubbed his talons against his fur, "Yes, that it is. Chaos is not always a bad thing. Glad Ms. Sparky's managed to learn that."

"Ugh."

The two looked off to the side to see Daisy lying dazed on the ground, flowers spread out everywhere next to an overturned basket.

Spike cringed, "Oops. Heh, sorry, Daisy. Didn't mean to run into you."

The pink mare sat up, rubbing her head, "Oh, it's okay, Spike." She looked at the flowers around her and sighed, "Well, I better get these daisies picked up." 

Discord waved a claw, instantly putting all of the daisies back into the basket. "Way ahead of you."

Daisy grinned, "Hey, thanks, Discord." She grabbed the basket handle in her mouth and hauled it onto her back.

She then spotted the floating cake.

She pointed to it with her hoof, "Who's the cake for?"

"Twilight. It's her birthday today, " Spike explained.

Daisy gasped, "It's Princess Twilight's birthday?"

Discord nodded, "Yes, it is. And, we really must be going. That surprise party ain't gonna plan itself."

The two began to walk off.

"Wait!"

They turned around.

Daisy had the basket handle in her mouth again. She set it down and slid it towards them.

"Consider it a gift for the princess."

Spike smiled, grabbing the basket, "Really? Thanks, Daisy!"

The flower mare grinned, "Don't mention it. Bye!"

With that, Daisy walked away from them.

Discord huffed, snapping the cake back into his hands, "While that was a nice gesture, we've been wasting time. I don't feel like walking anymore. Let's blow this pop stand."

Spike grasped the handle tightly as Discord's magic teleported them away, leaving a loud POP as they disappeared, startling many of the ponies nearby.


~~~~~


The two reappeared in the throne room, surprising Applejack and Rarity who happened to be in there.

"DISCORD?" Rarity shrieked, holding a hoof to her chest.

Spike shook off the temporary dizziness from the teleportation and shot a glare at Discord. "Didn't you just..."

Discord smirked, "I know. But, that doesn't mean it's not fun!"

Applejack adjusted her hat, furrowing her eyebrows, "Glad we can entertain ya."

Discord chuckled, "Oh, you ponies always entertain me. That's why I enjoy hanging out with you so much."

Rarity huffed, "Not sure if we should take that as a compliment or not."

"I would. So, we got the cake. Erase that off the list, Spike."

Spike raised an eyebrow as he checked off the first item on the list, "I assume you mean check."

Discord shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat. What do you have next?"

The purple dragon set his quill on the second item on the list, "Let's see. Decorations. How's that coming along?"

Rarity flipped her mane, smiling, "I think you'll find it going splendidly. Pinkie and I make a surprisingly good team, as strange as that may sound. The dining hall is finished. You two may take a look if you so desire. Right now, we're working on decor for this throne room here."

Applejack shook her head, amused, "I still say there's no need. We ain't havin' the party in here, Rarity. Save yerself the trouble, will ya?"

Rarity scoffed, "Oh, Applejack, you just don't understand. Everything must look perfect. Twilight is a princess after all. She deserves the best."

Applejack crossed her hooves, "Not sure if she'd agree."

The white unicorn rolled her eyes, "And, what exactly are you accomplishing sitting here, Applejack?"

Spike raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, A.J., weren't you taking care of the food?"

Applejack chuckled flatly, "I was. But, then Pinkie barges in and knocks over a full bag of flour. She's in the kitchen cleanin' up the mess now. I woulda helped, but she insisted she do it herself."

Discord stifled a laugh, "I don't know if I would've trusted her to be left alone."

Applejack waved a hoof, "She can handle herself. Pinkie may be a bit rowdy, but she's still a full grown mare. Even though I do question it every now and then."

Spike coughed, "Well, we better get moving. There's still a lot to do."

Discord turned to him curiously, "There is?"

Spike chuckled flatly, shooting Discord a deadpan look, "Uh, duh. Yeah? What, you didn't think planning this thing was gonna be easy, did you?"

Discord's eyes darted from side to side, "And if I did?"

Spike walked towards the door, "Then you've got another thing comin. Let's go."

Discord put his hands on his thighs, "Excuse me? I thought I was the one in charge." He quickly chased after the little dragon.


~~~~~


Discord and Spike had just finished examining the dining hall and were moving towards the kitchen.

Spike looked down at his clipboard, "Huh. Maybe this won't be as hard as I thought."

Discord smirked triumphantly, "Yes, and I do believe I remember saying that. Leave this to the professionals, kid."

Spike scoffed, "What professionals? I don't see any professionals."

The draconequus rolled his eyes, "You're hilarious, Spike, you know that? You would do very well in the comedic business."

Spike grinned, "Thanks. I try my best."

Discord grabbed the checklist from out of Spike's claws, "Although your ability to detect sarcasm needs some work."

"Huh?"

Discord waved a paw, "Never you mind, Spike. So, we got the cake and checked the decorations."

Spike nodded, "Yup. We're just going to check on Pinkie Pie real quick."

"Is that really a good idea?"

"...possibly?"

Discord sighed, "I don't understand how one pony can be so...chaotic, and it's like she's not even trying."

Spike raised an eyebrow, "Don't you like that?"

"Well, in most cases I would, but there's something about Pinkie that just gives me the chills. And, I rarely if ever get the chills."

Spike chuckled, as they neared the kitchen, "Oh, relax, Discord. Pinkie may be strange at times, but she's relatively harmless."

As Spike was about to open the kitchen door, Pinkie's head popped through the door.

"Why are you guys talking about me?"

Spike and Discord exchanged worried glances.

Spike gulped, his claws behind his back, "You heard that?"

Pinkie's whole body emerged through the door, "No. But, I sneezed two times. That means that somepony nearby was talking about me."

Discord grinned innocently, "All good things, I assure you."

A wide smile spread across the pink mare's face, "Okie Dokie Lokie! If you're here to check the kitchen, it's all spick and span. Just the way Twi likes it."

The two peaked into the kitchen. It was clean all right. But, Spike noticed something different.

"We never had any carpet in here."

Pinkie giggled, "Well, duh. I installed it today."

Discord squinted his eyes, "How?"

She giggled again, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah, I would. Seriously."

"Well, I - " Suddenly, Pinkie began scratching her mane. "Uh oh, I'm needed in the throne room. Probably to help Rarity. See you two later."

She bounced off, leaving Discord and Spike alone.

"I'm not even going to ask."


~~~~~


"Let's see. Fluttershy's working with her bird choir to sing Happy Birthday to Twilight." 

Discord nodded, "That's a good idea. I was planning on doing a solo, but you know, that works, too."

Spike chuckled, "No offense, but I think I'd prefer the birds."

Discord crossed his arms, "I'll have you know I've serenaded Twilight to sleep."

Spike raised a questioning eyebrow, "Really? Are you sure she wasn't half-asleep already?"

"Oh, what do baby dragons know? Twilight likes my singing, and frankly, I value her opinion more than I do yours."

Spike rolled his eyes, "Of course, Twilight would say that. She doesn't want to offend you."

Discord furrowed his eyebrows, "Aren't we supposed to be checking on Fluttershy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. We should get going."

With a snap of his talons, the two reappeared in front of Fluttershy's cottage.

Spike wobbled from side to side then fell to the ground. "I am never going to get used to that."

Discord waved him off, "Ah, you will eventually."

He knocked on the door, "Fluttershy? It's Discord and Spike."

The door opened, and they were greeted by not Fluttershy but Angel.

As soon as Angel laid eyes on Discord, he immediately began to close the door.

Discord held onto the door, preventing it from being closed, "Oh, come on, you're not still sore about the whole food incident, are you? It was all in good fun, I assure you."

Angel hissed at the draconequus.

Discord lowered his eyelids, "I don't have time for this. I am going to talk with Fluttershy to teach you some manners."

He pushed open the door and walked in, along with Spike, taking good care to shove the little rabbit away from the door.

Spike glared at the bunny, "I don't get how something so small could be so annoying."

"That makes two of us. Fluttershy?" He looked around for the yellow pegasus.

"I'm in the backyard." Fluttershy's soft voice called out from the backyard.

As they began to head towards the back door, they heard Fluttershy's bird choir chirping a lovely rendition of Happy Birthday.

Spike smiled, as they entered the backyard, "Wow, Fluttershy, that sounds amazing!"

At the sound of Spike's voice, the birds became startled and flew off into the trees.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, "Oh, goodness. Please, come back." She looked over at Spike and Discord.

Spike scuffed his foot in the dirt, "Oops. Sorry for scaring your birds."

"You and your big mouth, Spike."

Spike glared at Discord.

Fluttershy smiled, "It's okay, Spike. We were about to take a break, anyway. How's the party planning coming along?"

Discord placed a proud paw on his chest, "It's coming along spectacularly. But, that is to be expected, I am quite the party planning expert."

Spike coughed.

Discord raised an eyebrow, "You need a cough drop, Spike?"

"No, I'm good."

Fluttershy lifted a hoof shyly, "Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but is there anything else you need? It's almost feeding time."

Discord raised a hand, "Oh, I can do it!" He neared the chicken coop, but the chickens inside instantly scrambled away from him.

The draconequus huffed, "What's their problem?"

Fluttershy flew over next to Discord, "Um, no offense, Discord, but I don't think the animals trust you yet. Sorry, I'll get them to understand."

Discord crossed his arms, "Typical. Well, if there's nothing left to do, then I guess we should take our leave. See you later, Fluttershy. Bring some lemonade."

Fluttershy smiled, "I will. See you two tomorrow."

With that, Discord and Spike vanished in a flash of white light, startling the animals nearby.

"Oh, dear."


~~~~~


As soon as Discord and Spike entered the castle, they were instantly met up by Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, Spike! Discord! There you are. Want to see how the cloud statue is coming along?"

Spike grinned and nodded, "Oh, yeah, that sounds great."

Discord raised an eyebrow, "A cloud statue?"

Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves, rolling her eyes, "Sheesh, Discord, what's up with you not listening lately?"

The draconequus' eyebrows furrowed, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Spike sighed, placing a claw on his head, "We discussed it at the meeting. You must not have been paying attention...again."

Discord thought back to the meeting in question. Suddenly, he remembered, "Oh, now I remember. You're making it out of the same stuff that Cloudsdale is made of, right? See, I was listening. It just happened to slip my mind."

"Suuuure, Discord. Anyway, it's almost ready. Come on, I'll show you. It's in the library." 

The cyan pegasus flew down the hall with Discord and Spike trailing behind her.

Soon, they found themselves in Twilight's library.

Rainbow pushed the door open, "Feel free to criticize. Though, after you see it, I doubt you'll have much to say."

The two walked through the doors, and both their jaws dropped.

A statue of Twilight with her wings fully extended and her mane blown back as if in the wind stood before them.

Rainbow Dash smirked proudly, "Yeah, no words. Thought so."

Spike looked at the blue pegasus, "Did you do this all by yourself?"

Rainbow scoffed, "Hay no, there's no way I could accomplish something like this. I mean, I am awesome, but I'm not afraid to ask for help, especially from the professionals."

From behind the statue, three Wonderbolts emerged: Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot.

Discord's and Spike's jaws dropped a second time.

Spitfire chuckled, "When Rainbow Dash said today was Princess Twilight's birthday, we agreed to help her make this here beauty."

Soarin nodded, smiling, "Yeah, although, Rainbow came up with the design."

The draconequus and dragon looked over at Rainbow, whose cheeks had turned a light shade of crimson.

"Well, it was a team effort, really."

Discord bent down, whispering in Spike's ear, "Dash isn't taking the credit for herself? Methinks somepony has a crush."

Spike chuckled, "I know, right?"

Fleetfoot rubbed her hooves together, "And, besides, it's the least we could do after trying to make you join Cloudsdale's team instead of Ponyville's."

Rainbow waved a wing, "Don't worry about that. All is forgiven. And, I'm not one to hold a grudge."

Discord chuckled, raising an eyebrow, "Since when?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Hardy har. Well, you two have seen the statue. So, there's nothing else here for you to do. So, shoo." 

Discord held up both of his hands, "All right, all right, I know when I'm not wanted. Let's take our leave, Spike. Have fun, Rainbow." He winked at her.

Rainbow's eyes widened as her cheeks reddened again. Quickly, she sent a nasty glare in Discord's direction. "Good bye, Discord."

With a loud laugh, Discord left the room with Spike following closely behind.

"What was that all about?" Soarin asked, standing next to Rainbow.

Rainbow's blush intensified as she chuckled nervously, "Oh, that's just Discord. So random. Heh. Heh."


~~~~~


The moon rose high into the sky, ending another day.

Much to the relief of Discord, who was, as Applejack would say, "plumb tuckered".

The party planning had taken much longer than he ever thought possible, much to his dismay.

But, this was more proof of his reformation. If he had been his old self, he would have never dreamed of planning a party for a pony. Why would he?

And, he especially wouldn't have taken part in any manual labor. 

Now that he was reformed and had a marefriend, all of his hard work would definitely be worth it.

Discord stared at the purple present in his hands.

"Well, Twi, if this doesn't make up for forgetting your birthday, I don't know what will."

He looked over at picture of himself and Twilight. He picked up it up, staring at it with great affection.

He smiled, stroking the picture gently, "Don't worry, Twilight. I won't forget your birthday ever again."

With that, he snapped his fingers, turning the light off.

He sighed contently, imagining the surprised look on Twilight's face.