It was a normal day in Ponyville... at least, until the explosion over by Sweet Apple Acres. It was a most unusual explosion, consisting of clouds, flour, apple juice, and fabric dye. The perpetrator was none other than the master of chaos himself, Discord. And the victims were Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity.
Discord had been bored, as Fluttershy had gone on one of her nature observation trips. Unwilling to spoil her enjoyment, Discord reluctantly remained behind, but found he needed some way to entertain himself. So he invited the four ponies to join him outside Sweet Apple Acres, telling them he had a "special treat" for them, in the form of what looked like cakes... that is, until the ponies tried to cut them, whereupon they exploded into the cavalcade of unrelated objects.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Discord guffawed. "Oh, you should see the looks on your faces!"
"Seriously?" Applejack growled, her mane soaked with apple juice. "You called us over here for this?"
"Of course not 'seriously'." Discord snorted. "It was a joke. Nothing serious about it."
"Kind of a mean joke if you ask me." Pinkie frowned, flour all over her.
"Quite right, darling." Rarity scowled, covered in various colored dyes.
"Mean?!" Discord scoffed. "Surely you jest! I put some of your favorite things in there. You should be enjoying this!"
"Yeah, not so much." Rainbow snarled, a cloud beard on her chin.
"Now, now, ladies." Discord tutted. "Don't tell me you can't take a joke? Rainbow Dash, surely you of all ponies should enjoy a good prank?"
"I do." Rainbow scoffed. "Let me know when you have one."
"Ouch." Discord cringed. "Really hittin' below the belt there..."
"Come on, y'all." Applejack rung out her mane. "Let's go get cleaned up."
"With pleasure." Rarity cringed. "I look like some terrible abstract painting..."
"I guess Mr and Mrs Cake could use the extra flour." Pinkie declared, intending to shake the white substance out of her mane over a bowl.
"What? But the fun's just getting started!" Discord protested. "That was just the opening act!"
"Well, we're not sticking around for the rest!" Rainbow growled. "We're outta here!"
Rainbow flew away as fast as she could, while the others headed off on hoof, leaving Discord.
"You know, you're taking this a little too hard!" Discord yelled after them. "Those ponies can be so sensitive..."
The next day, the four ponies were in Sugarcube Corner.
"Ugh, it took forever for me to get all that dye off!" Rarity groaned.
"Try getting a ton of flour out of your adorably pouffy mane." Pinkie pouted. "On the plus side, I managed to fill three whole bowls with flour..." She chuckled lightly. "Three for free, get it?!"
"Ah hate ta see perfectly good apple juice go to waste." Applejack sighed.
"And I hate looking stupid." Rainbow growled.
At that moment, Discord flashed in.
"Morning, ladies!" He smiled. "Hanging out at the ol' Corner, are we? Mind if I join you?"
"Not a chance." Rainbow snorted.
"I'm afraid I'm not interested in such uncouth company right now." Rarity glowered.
"Oh, don't tell me you're still sore about yesterday's little incident, are you?" Discord rolled his eyes.
"Sore don't begin cover it." Applejack snarled.
"You turned perfectly good cakes into a total mess." Pinkie pouted.
"It was a joke!" Discord retorted, flashing in front of them. "Don't you ponies have a sense of humor?"
"Not for jokes like that." Rainbow sneered. "I'm outta here."
"As am I." Rarity followed.
"Me too." Applejack huffed.
"I actually have to do some baking in the kitchen, but I'm still not talking to you." Pinkie glared at Discord. "I'm gonna put that flour you threw on me to good use..."
"So you're just going to ditch me, is that it?" Discord asked.
"You ponies hear something?" Rainbow asked.
"Not a thing." Rarity stuck up her nose.
"Me neither." Pinkie agreed.
"If Ah did hear something, it wouldn't be worth listenin' to." Applejack declared.
"Really?" Discord scowled. "You're just going to act like I'm not here?"
Pinkie bounced into the kitchen, while the others walked out of the door, none of even glancing at Discord.
"Fine, be that way." Discord growled. "You don't want to hang out with me? It's your loss, sisters! I can have plenty of fun on my own." He created two duplicates of himself. "Just me, myself and I. A real good looking bunch..."
Discord's words failed to reflect his feelings. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored. And while he couldn't admit it, even to himself, being snubbed like that hurt him. Those mares may not have been Fluttershy, but he had grown quite close to them. And he needed some way to get them to stop being mad at him. He was tempted to manipulate their minds, but the idea seemed like it could backfire, especially if Fluttershy ever found out.
'This calls for some drastic measures.' He thought. 'Drastic, and humiliating...'
Discord reluctantly transported himself to the study in Twilight's castle. Twilight had been on important Canterlot business the day before, sparing her from Discord's prank. At the moment, Starlight was visiting Sunburst in the Crystal Empire, and had brought Spike along to visit Thorax, leaving Twilight on her own. This worked out just fine for Discord, since he wanted as few witnesses as possible.
Twilight was reading at the moment Discord appeared, and was slightly surprised (but not too much, having grown used to Discord's unannounced appearances).
"Good morning, Twilight!" Discord said, his voice overbearingly cheery. "How was your trip?"
"It was... very productive." Twilight declared. "And from what I've heard, it's been pretty eventful over here, too."
The look on Twilight's face was all Discord needed.
"Of course." He groaned. "The others informed you of my little... faux pas. You're not going to say you're mad at me too?"
"You're right, I'm not." Twilight nodded.
"...That is not funny." Discord glared at Twilight, his irises glowing.
"I'm serious." Twilight insisted. "I'm not angry with you."
"Oh." Discord mused, pleasantly surprised. "So, you think my little jape wasn't so bad?"
"Actually, from what I've heard, it was ridiculous, excessive and utterly thoughtless." Twilight frowned. "I don't blame the others for reacting the way they did."
"Okay... and you're still saying you're not angry about it?" Discord frowned.
"Yes." Twilight nodded. "It's more like I'm... disappointed. And I'll bet the others are too."
"Disappointed?" Discord frowned, confused. "Why?"
"Because we all know you can be better than this." Twilight declared. "We've seen it with our own eyes. You became a faithful friend to Fluttershy, and you've even helped the rest of us on occasion."
"Have I?" Discord said, aloof. "I don't recall."
"We wouldn't have found most of the keys to the Tree of Harmony's chest without you, remember?" Twilight pointed out. "Those bookmarks you left in the Journal showed us the way. And need I remind you that you gave me my key yourself?"
"Well, I was just paying you back for sticking up for me during that whole Tirek business." Discord shrugged. "If there's one thing I despise, it's being in debt to somepony else."
"Whatever the reason, you helped us." Twilight pointed out. "We couldn't have stopped Tirek without you."
"Yes, I did somewhat save the day in that regard, didn't I?" Discord smirked.
"After betraying Equestria to Tirek in the first place." Twilight pointed out.
"You just had to go there, didn't you?" Discord pouted.
"But you did redeem yourself." Twilight admitted. "You gave me Tirek's medallion as a sign of your true friendship. I don't think I've ever heard you sound so sincere, so heartfelt before. I almost couldn't believe you were the same Discord who loved to get under my skin."
"Well, like I said, I owed you one." Discord said awkwardly.
"Maybe if that Discord were around more often, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this mess." Twilight mused.
"Mess? What mess?" Discord scoffed. "I'm not in any kind of mess at all. Personally, I couldn't care less if those four are angry at me. If they never talked to me again, it wouldn't even matter. It doesn't bother me in the least."
"Clearly, it does." Twilight said drily. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here to talk to me about it."
"Oh, such baseless slander." Discord flashed on a blue gentleman's suit, top hat and monocle. "Has it not crossed your mind that I simply wished to enjoy some light reading?"
"Not even for a second." Twilight snorted. "It does bother you that the others aren't talking with you. You're just too proud to admit it."
"What do I even need them for?" Discord flashed out of the suit. "I've got Fluttershy, remember? She'll be back from her trip in a couple of days, and I can just hang out with her. Problem solved!"
"But Fluttershy isn't the only pony you care about anymore, is she?" Twilight smiled knowingly. "You had real fun with the others during my book-sort-cation, remember? You really did bond with them, and now you don't want to lose their friendship any more than you want to lose Fluttershy's."
"I don't have to answer those outrageous allegations." Discord turned and folded his arms.
Twilight sighed. She was starting to get annoyed.
"Why can't you just admit that the others being angry at you is making you feel bad?" She asked. "I know it, you know it, so why not just say it?"
"Okay, fine!" Discord threw up his mismatched hands, exasperated. "Them being angry at me, and flat-out ignoring me, is making me feel bad! Happy?!"
"And you came here because...?" Twilight waved her hoof, leading him on.
"...Because... because..." Discord almost gagged on his words. "Because I need your help to straighten this out. I'll never forgive you for making me say this, but... you're better at this 'friendship' thing than I am." He stretched out his face, exasperated, which snapped back into place. "So, are you going to help me, or not?"
"Believe me, I'm sorely tempted to leave you to wallow in the mess you've made." Twilight confessed. "But, as the Princess of Friendship, I don't think I can just stand by and let you lose your friendships."
"Of course not." Discord smirked, materializing Twilight's crown in his hands. "They might take back your crown."
"Well, lucky for you, there's a simple solution to this particular friendship problem." Twilight smiled. "All you have to do is apologize."
"What?!" Discord spluttered. "Apologize for being hilarious? Oh, sure! And while I'm at it, why don't I just apologize for being devastatingly handsome too?!"
"It's the simplest, easiest solution, Discord." Twilight declared.
"Well... can't you talk to them?" Discord asked. "You're their leader. You could just tell them to forgive me."
"That's not how it works." Twilight shook her head. "They'll only forgive you if you prove them to them how sorry you are. I can't make them do it."
"Well, maybe you should." Discord snarled. "As the lord of chaos, I really shouldn't have to stoop so low as to beg for forgiveness from a bunch of ponies."
"There's that pride again." Twilight sighed. "Is keeping your ego puffed up and retaining your reputation as the 'lord of chaos' really more important than friendship?"
"Maybe it is." Discord inflated himself like a balloon.
"And let's face it, this whole mess started because you just had to pull a ridiculous prank on your friends." Twilight grimaced.
"I'm the spirit of chaos, it's what I do!" Discord protested. "I don't think you understand how hard it is for me to keep myself from unleashing a maelstrom of chaos upon all of Equestria. Even with Fluttershy and all of you as an incentive, it's difficult sometimes. Not that you'd know anything about putting aside your own nature..."
"You'd be surprised." Twilight retorted. "Before I came to Ponyville, my nature was pretty much all studying, all the time. But after I learned about friendship, that started to change. And yes, I still enjoy a good study session every so often, but there's more to me than that now. The part of me that was my nature is now just part of my nature. If I could do that, why can't you?"
"Maybe because I don't want to." Discord pouted.
"So you'd prefer to lose four of the few friends you have?" Twilight asked. "Is that really what you want?"
"...No." Discord muttered.
"Well, if you want them to stay your friends, you're going to have to swallow your pride, and apologize." Twilight said firmly.
"Ugh, why does this have to be so difficult?!" Discord groaned.
"It's like I told you, a long time ago: Friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for." Twilight declared.
"Funny, that sounds slightly less sappy than it did the first time." Discord remarked.
"Well, a lot's changed since then." Twilight pointed out.
"And then some." Discord smirked. "Right, 'Princess of Friendship'?"
"Right." Twilight nodded. "And a true friend does everything they can to keep their friendships. Because every one is precious. I know I cherish all of my friendships. Even yours, Discord."
"Really?" Discord smirked widely.
"Yes, really." Twilight admitted. "You can be a real pain in my flank sometimes, but I've come to like having you around."
"And that is the magic of me." Discord chuckled. "But still... I don't know if I have it in me for one apology, let alone four..."
"Tell you what, I'll make it a little easier for you." Twilight offered. "I'll invite all four of the girls over, so you can apologize to them all at once."
"Four for the price of one." Discord nodded. "You really are a smart one, aren't you?" He flashed a graduation gown and hat on Twilight, a diploma appearing in one hoof.
"When it comes to certain subjects." Twilight nodded. "Now, while I get the others, you can work on that apology."
"Yeah, yeah..." Discord rolled his eyes as Twilight left the study.
A short time later, Twilight returned with the others.
"What's all the hubbub, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, what's so important?" Rainbow asked.
"Is it a surprise party?" Pinkie asked.
"Not exactly Twilight shook her head.
As they entered the study, Discord was standing there, waiting. The four mares understandably stiffened up at the sight of him.
"And what exactly is he doing here?" Rarity frowned.
"Discord has something to say to you all." Twilight walked over to the Draconequus. "Discord?"
Discord stood in place, while the others glared at him. Part of him was still stubbornly refusing to apologize, while another was unsure other whether it would work.
"Any time now." Twilight said through gritted teeth, nudging Discord in the side.
"Okay, fine." Discord sighed. "I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry my little prank wasn't to your liking. Honestly, I thought you'd enjoy it. But it looks like I was wrong."
"Darn tootin'." Applejack huffed.
"The point is, I didn't mean to make you all mad." Discord admitted. "I just wanted to have a little fun. And with Fluttershy out of town, I could think of no better ponies to have fun with."
"Aww, really?" Pinkie smiled.
"Really." Discord nodded. "But clearly, my idea of 'fun' didn't quite jibe with yours yesterday. And for that, I... apologize. As much as it pains me to admit it, you ponies are among the few friends I have, and I really don't like the idea of losing you. So... still friends?"
The four mares looked at each other for a long moment.
"...Okay, apology accepted." Rainbow announced.
"Really?" Discord smiled hopefully.
"An apology from you is rare indeed." Rarity pointed out. "Enough that we can overlook yesterday's... unpleasantness."
"Ah reckon we've forgiven worse from you." Applejack admitted.
"Besides, I really did put all that flour to good use." Pinkie declared. "I made some extra batches of cupcakes. I don't know if it was because of magic or my mane, but they tasted really good!"
"Good to know this has all finally been straightened out." Discord smiled. "How about a celebration?"
Discord conjured up a table with four cakes, each one colored like one of the mares' coats. The others glared at him for a moment.
"What? They're not joke cakes this time." Discord declared. He stuck a knife in one. "See? They're perfectly safe... and perfectly delicious!"
"Good enough for me!" Pinkie rushed forward and stuck her face into her cake.
"I could use a snack." Rainbow shrugged.
"Something sweet would be just the thing to forget all the bitterness." Rarity announced.
"Ah could use the energy for apple buckin' later on." Applejack smiled.
As their friends enjoyed their cakes, Twilight walked over to Discord.
"Nice work." Twilight smiled. "Pretty good apology for a novice."
"Still not my strong suit, though." Discord shrugged. "But I'm glad it worked. And, y'know... thanks for the help."
"I'm the Princess of Friendship, it's what I do." Twilight paraphrased Discord's earlier comment.
"Well, I'd say I owe you one." Discord declared. "And, since I hate having debts..." He conjured up a chocolate cake shaped like Twilight's head. "Consider us even."
"You're welcome, Discord." Twilight smiled. She used her magic to lower a knife into the cake.
The second the knife touched the cake, it exploded, showing Twilight with chocolate. The others stopped their eating and glanced in her direction.
"Sorry, couldn't resist!" Discord guffawed. "It was just such a perfect set-up! You should see yourself! ...Hold on..."
Discord conjured up a cloth, and wiped off enough of the chocolate that Twilight's unamused face could be seen.
"Now, now, don't you get all huffy." Discord teased. "This is nowhere near as bad as what I did to the others. And I already apologized, so... no hard feelings?"
A glob of chocolate, propelled by magic, splattered all over Discord's face.
"None at all." Twilight smiled, her horn still glowing.
Discord stood there for a moment, bemused. Then he burst out laughing.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" He chuckled. "Good one!"
The others all joined him in a bout of laughter. It felt good for Discord, being able to laugh amongst them all. Though he still had a hard time admitting it (even to himself), he was truly happy to have them as friends. And would he have a fun story to tell Fluttershy when she got back...