//------------------------------// // Chapter 60: Keep Calm and Flutter On // Story: The Arrogance of Man // by Johng117 //------------------------------// The morning sun was hanging in the sky over Equestria. Junior stood in silence, deep in Canterlot's garden. At his side were Celestia and Luna. He sighed heavily as he stared at the statue before them. "You two are absolutely insane," deadpanned Luna. "Careful. I'm a little sensitive to being called that. You'll hurt my feelings," said Junior as he glanced at Luna. The blue winged Avatar frowned. "I apologize. I didn't-" "I'm kidding. Don't worry, I know you weren't trying to be harsh," said Junior with a chuckle. Luna sighed in relief. She then turned back to the statue. "I still think this is a bad idea," said Luna. "Luna, I believe he can be reformed. With that, we can have a powerful ally that will use his great power for good," said Celestia as she glanced at her sister. "Who's going to reform him?" asked Junior. "The most capable person, Fluttershy," said Celestia. Junior's eyes widened. "Fluttershy?! But...how?!" exclaimed Junior. The idea of relying on the timid girl lowered his confidence at their goal. "You underestimate her, Junior. Given Twilight's letters about her, I believe she is the most capable of reforming someone as him," said Celestia. Junior sighed as he looked on reluctance. "Well...it'd be better to not have to worry about him being unleashed while causing trouble. I will also need his help," said Junior. He then nodded as he turned away. "OK, but I'm kicking his ass if he pisses me off," said Junior. Celestia looked at him in disapproval. "Language! And don't resort to violence!" scolded Celestia. Junior sighed as he scowled. "Fine. I'll hit him if he hits me first," said Junior. "Sounds fair enough," said Luna as she crossed her arms. Celestia sighed as she shook her head. They began to walk away from the statue. Luna glanced back at the statue with a wary expression. She then turned back and continued to follow the two. As they continued on down through the garden and near the barracks, they found Koizumi on a wheel chair with casts on his legs. Yoshi stood by with his arms crossed while Inoue stood behind Koizumi's chair. The three noticed the princesses and saluted. "Good morning, your highnesses," greeted the rebels. "Good morning," greeted the Avatars. Junior merely waved. "Yo," greeted Junior. "Takeshi! Good to see you, buddy," said Koizumi as he leaned on his chair with his fist out. Junior lightly tapped his own fist against Koizumi's. "How are your injuries?" asked Junior. "Meh. Legs aren't fully healed, but the fairies accelerated the healing. It's more useful than Elf magic," said Koizumi with a chuckle. "I'm fine. Just suffered from some magic burns," said Yoshi. Celestia raised a brow as she noticed Inoue's leg wrapped in a cast. "Private Inoue, when were you injured?" asked Celestia. Inoue went stiff. "Oh! This happened over a week ago during a training exercise," lied Inoue. "Oh. So that explains why you've been out of duty for a while," said Celestia as she tapped her chin. Junior and Luna looked at Inoue suspiciously, who kept her face still. "Well, I wish you a quick recovery," said Celestia with a smile as she made her way towards the castle. Junior and Luna followed her close behind. "You do realize that she was lying, right?" asked Luna. "Of course. But I wasn't going to make it obvious. I'm waiting to question Koizumi why he was missing that day," said Celestia. "Yikes," said Junior. "Takeshi!" called Yoshi. Junior stopped and turned to find Yoshi rushing towards him. Junior turned to face the Avatars. "I'll catch up," said Junior. The princesses nodded and proceeded to move on. Junior turned to face Yoshi. "Yeah?" questioned Junior. "Hey. Uh...I'm curious. Would you happen to be related to the Takeshi clan? The clan that was famous for its warrior legacy?" asked Yoshi. "Yeah. My dad and I were the last. Now...I guess it's just me," said Junior as he rubbed the back of his head. "I thought so. I wasn't sure since you could have just happened to have the same surname," said Yoshi. He then cleared his throat. "Tell me, how much do you know about sword fighting and martial arts?" asked Yoshi. "A bit. I only know some stuff that my dad taught me before he died. I ended up practicing what I learned after his death, but I assume there was more that he wanted to teach me. When it comes to the sword, I'm OK," said Junior. Yoshi crossed his arms with a sigh. "Well, you certainly aren't wrong," said Yoshi. Junior raised a brow. "Pardon?" "Takeshi, what if I were to tell you that I know the ways of combat of your clan?" asked Yoshi. Junior's eyes widened in surprise. "I...I would have to ask you, how would you know that?" asked Junior. "Well, I believe that we may have trained with a Takeshi many years ago," answered Yoshi. "No, that's impossible. The only people who could have been alive than were my father and my grand..." Junior's eyes widened in realization. "Takeshi Ishiro. The head of the Takeshi clan and founder of a kenjutsu school after the fall of his clan," said Yoshi. He turned and found Inoue pushing Koizumi towards them with his wheel chair. "Takeshi Ishiro," said Junior in thought. His eyes then widened as he recalled seeing an old photo in his old home. He was unable to recall the face, but he knew that there was a photo of his father with an older man. "Dad never really talked about grandpa. I do remember seeing photos of the two of them together at my old home, but I don't remember his face," said Junior as he looked down at the ground. "Well, Takeshi Ishiro was the man whom we studied under as kids," said Yoshi as he gestured to Koizumi. Junior looked at him in surprise. "Wait, both of you?!" exclaimed Junior. "Hey, we are childhood friends," said Koizumi with a shrug. Inoue raised a brow. "Wait, seriously?! You hardly seem like it!" said Inoue. "Of course we are! Childhood friends always bust each other's balls and work well together," said Koizumi. "Oh. Well, that is a good point," said Inoue with a nod. "Well, I wouldn't know. I never had a childhood friend," said Junior with a shrug. "Prior to your grandfather's passing, we spent some years studying under him," said Yoshi. He then gave Junior a hard stare. "Takeshi, I think it'd be fair if we taught you what your grandfather had taught us," said Yoshi. Junior's widened in surprise. "You...you want to train me?" asked Junior. "Only if you want to. I thought I'd let an ally know about this. This is your family's legacy and you are what remains," said Yoshi. "Plus, it wouldn't go to waste since you're a fighter too," said Koizumi with a chuckle. Junior lightly smiled. "I...I don't know what to say," said Junior. Inoue smirked. "Just say yes or no," said Inoue. "Yes. Yes, I would appreciate it if you could teach me some time. I may need it for the future," said Junior. Yoshi smiled. "Excellent. I'd do it now since Koizumi will not be able to for a while and I'm in better shape. However, you’ll have to wait until I can find time to train you," said Yoshi. "Thank you. I appreciate this. Just call Mosura and let her know since I'm back in Ponyville," said Junior as he left. "Will do. Take care," said Yoshi. "Yeah, you guys too," said Junior as he made his way back to the castle. Inoue lightly smiled as she turned to face Yoshi. "That was awfully nice of you, Sarge," said Inoue. "Well, I admire the turn around that the head of the Takeshi clan was attempting to make and what it stood for. They died with honor," said Yoshi. "Now, that legacy may have a chance to live on." "He better get to procreating with that girlfriend of his then," said Koizumi. Inoue scoffed in disgust. "Wow. Way to ruin the moment," said Inoue. Koizumi shrugged. "Hey, I'm just stating a fact," said Koizumi. Later... Junior sat down in a flying chariot in silence. He glanced to the side and found Celestia sitting on her royal chariot as four pegasi towed it. He then turned to the other side and found Discord’s statue being towed on a chariot with its own team of pegasi and a guard riding in front of the statue. Junior sighed as he leaned back in his seat, but grunted as he felt his head throbbing. "You're a fool to think that you can trust him. He'll only turn on you again," said a deep and growling voice. Junior's eyes widened as he recognized the voice of the dragon from his dreams. "You can't trust Discord. Besides, why would you want to help that soldier find Sunset Shimmer? They tried to kill you!" growled the dragon's voice. "That doesn't matter. Discord is the best possible option to find her. I'm doing this because I can't bear the thought of her losing a friend that understands her. That's something that I was forced to live with for years," said Junior in a whisper, to avoid anyone from hearing him from outside. "Ugh. Friends. Your friends are slowing you down, Gojira! They are hampering your progress to avenge your father!" said the dragon's voice. "No. You forget that Shimmer's kidnappers were allied with the Revolutionaries. If Discord is reformed and finds her, then I'm willing to bet that I'll find Destoroyah. I haven't forgotten my goal," said Junior with a hard stare. "You should have made killed Battra and Megaguirus. Killing them would have provoked Destoroyah to find you," said the dragon's voice. Junior shook his head. "No. Mosura would have hated me if I were to do that. I couldn't do that to her, not after she asked me to allow her to talk to him," said Junior. "Bah! She is a weak willed person! She doesn't have the guts to take a life! Unlike you," growled the dragon. "She is not weak. You don't know anything about her," said Junior. "I am you. Therefore, I know her," said the dragon. Junior growled as he placed his hands over his ears and clenched his eyes shut. He gasped as he felt a burning sensation in his chest and started to pant. He suddenly felt a thump in the chariot that he was in, causing him to wobble in his seat and find that the chariot had landed on the ground. He turned ahead and found Celestia speaking with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. He sighed as he opened the chariot and walked over to the group. "Yes, I understand, but I have use for Discord's magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil. This is why I've brought Discord here, because I believe that you are the ones who can reform him," said Celestia as she gestured to the humans and Drake. "This will never work! This is a disaster! How will we ever control him?! We're doomed!" cried Spike. "This is for the best guys. We're gonna need his help," said Junior as he made his way to Celestia's side. Twilight's eyes widened in shock. "Gojira?! Wait, you're in on this too?!" exclaimed Twilight. Junior nodded. "Trust me, I'm not too happy about it. But given what we may be dealing with and our inability to find Sunset Shimmer, we'll need someone like him to help," said Junior. "Dude, you know as much as we do that’s why this is a bad idea!" said Rainbow. Celestia cleared her throat. "Need I remind you that you are the ones who turned him back into stone like this in the first place?" asked Celestia as she bore a small smile. Twilight looked at the other Element Bearers in reluctance. "Well...I suppose we can just use the Elements of Harmony against him again if it gets out of hand," said Twilight. Spike chuckled nervously as he walked backwards. "Uh, w-w-we probably need a volunteer to run away from here right away to get them. I'll do it!" said Spike as he began to run away. "No need, Spike. I have them right here, and I've cast a spell so Discord can't take them and hide them again," said Celestia as two guards came by holding a golden crate, revealing the Elements of Harmony. Celestia then searched the area with a raised brow. "Now where is Fluttershy? I believe she may know best how reform Discord," said Celestia. Rainbow's eyes widened as she flew at Celestia's side. "Fluttershy? Really?" asked Rainbow. Twilight glanced at Junior in reluctance, who merely smiled nervously. Later... Currently, Junior found himself with the rest of the Element Bearers and Spike, while Fluttershy stood before Celestia. The Valkyrie stood by with a nervous and unsure expression. "I realize that this is a tall order, but I wouldn't ask if I weren't confident you could get him to use magic obediently of his own free will," said Celestia. Fluttershy looked away in reluctance. "And... you really think I'll know best how to do that?" asked Fluttershy. Celestia slightly bent down as she placed a hand on Fluttershy's cheek and brought her face to meet with hers. The Avatar gave her a warm, motherly smile. "I do," said Celestia. Fluttershy's cheeks flushed as she looked away with a flattered smile. Celestia released her cheek and walked back to her royal chariot. "Now, I must return to Canterlot for Equestria's royal summit. You may release Discord when you’re ready." As Celestia boarded her chariot, she waved to the group as the pegasi ran and took off into the air. As the chariots left, Discord was left behind in his cold, stone state. The Main Six made their way to the statue as they placed on their Elements of Harmony. "Okay, people, guess it's time to get started. Let's just hope that this releasing spell works," said Twilight as she and the other girls gathered into a circle. Spike bit his claws nervously. "Or... let's not," said Spike. "We'd best keep our elements on at all times 'til further notice," said Twilight as she looked to the other Element Bearers. They all nodded to her. "Check!" said the other Element Bearers in unison. Twilight inhaled deeply as her hands were engulfed by her magical aura. The Element of Harmony that sat upon her head released a bright light that shined in the area while the rest of the Elements of Harmony gave off lights that were shaped as their Cutie Marks as the women levitated into the air. Junior and Spike watched in amazement as a rainbow connected to the Elements of Harmony, locking Discord into a circle. The rainbows then twisted around Twilight and connected to her Element of Harmony, creating bright lights. The sound of cracking reached Junior's ears, prompting him to turn and to find the stone that covered Discord break. As the stone bust, Discord gave a screaming sound that then escalated into him giving a yawn. He then began to stretch as he wiggled his body. "Oh! Ooh! Ooooh! Well, it's about time somebody got me out of that prison block. What a relief!" said Discord as he stretched his arm and snapped his lion pawed fingers. A squirrel on a nearby tree suddenly transformed into a muscled version of itself. It snapped off the twig that was nearby and chewed on it. The Element Bearers gasped in shock. "What do you think you're doing?!" demanded Twilight. Discord continued to stretch. "Nnnnnnnnngh– Why, stretching, of course. When you're a creature of chaos, stone bodysuits aren't your typical go-to fashion choice. Nnngh..." said Discord as he snapped his fingers again. A nearby rabbit that was sniffing a flower suddenly transformed into a burlier version of itself. The rabbit turned towards the group and gave a screeching sound as it hopped away. Pinkie gasped in shock and then glared at Discord. "Make that bunny cute again! Now!" ordered Pinkie. Discord sniggered in response. "Oh, He's adorable the way he is," said Discord as he ran a finger under the twitching bunny's chin. The rabbit responded by chomping at Discord's claw, missing him with its large buck teeth by an inch. Discord stood up as he crossed his arms and blew a raspberry at the discorded creature. "You know what else is adorable? You people truly believe that you can reform me, and that you're putting your faith in this one here to make it happen," said Discord as appeared by Fluttershy dressed as an old woman. He then grabbed Fluttershy's cheek as he took on a mocking smile. "Makes me wanna pinch your little cheeks..." Junior rushed to Fluttershy's side and slapped Discord's lion paw away as he shot him a glare. Fluttershy stared worriedly as she rubbed her red cheek. "Oh, hey Gojira!" said Discord with a smile. "Save it," said Junior with a glare. Twilight looked at Discord with a glare as she stepped forward. "Wait! How'd you know about that?!" demanded Twilight. "Being turned to stone doesn't keep me from hearing every word Celestia says. Although I admit it makes rolling my eyes a challenge," said Discord as he reached for his eyes and removed them from their sockets, leaving behind dark holes rather than tissue. Everyone watched with disturbed expressions as Discord shook his eyes in his paw, giving the sound of marbles colliding with each other. He then rolled his eyes onto the ground, where everyone continued to stare at with wide eyes as they rolled into two holes that fit them perfectly. Suddenly, Discord appeared in the grass as a flat image and then suddenly emerged out of the ground as a three dimensional figure again. "Well, unless you want us to turn you back to stone, you'll zap those animals back the way they were, pronto!" said Twilight. "Oh, you wouldn't dare turn me back to stone and risk disappointing your precious princess," scoffed Discord. "Try us, Dip-cord!" said Rainbow as she took into the air with her fists raised. Fluttershy too off into the air as well as she sent Discord a glare. "You think you can treat poor defenseless animals like that and get away with it?!" demanded Fluttershy. "You go, Fluttershy!" said Rainbow as she bore a grin. She knew better than anyone that the sweet and timid girl would retaliate with fury if animals and her friends were to be harmed. Fluttershy flew into Discords face as she pointed a finger against his nose. "You'd best watch your step, buster, or I'll give you... the Stare!" said Fluttershy as she focused her left eye on him with a warning tone. Discord gasped with a false look of horror as he backed away. "The Stare? Oh no, please, not that! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs!" said Discord with a sarcastic tone. He then started to laugh hysterically as he flew in a frontal circle, mocking the Valkyrie. Fluttershy focused her eyes into a glare as she stared into Discord's own eyes. Discord gasped as he attempted to avoid eye contact. "Oh no! No no no, stop! No, no!" cried Discord as he gave the sound of himself being strangled as he convulsed. Fluttershy continued to focus her stare on the draconequus. "I can't! Stop! I can't take it anymore! I'll do whatever you say! Because..." Discord laughed hysterically, much to everyone's shock. "You are hilarious! hahaha!" "If it turns out we need to use our elements against you, I'm sure we can convince Princess Celestia it was for a good reason!" said Twilight as she and the others glared at the Spirit of Chaos. "Mmm... I suppose that's correct," said Discord as he snapped his fingers. The discorded critters suddenly changed back to normal, much to the satisfaction of the humans. Discord merely shrugged as his tail rose into the air. The hairs on the tip of his tail suddenly formed into a hand and snapped its fingers. Unbeknownst to the group, excluding Discord, a group of beavers that were near the apple orchard were discorded. Their eyes turned to a hellish red and they started chattering as they scattered around the orchard. Discord smiled deviously and then turned his side to the side. "Oopsie!" said Discord under his breath, to no one in particular. The group merely looked at him in confusion over who the spirit of chaos was speaking to. "Well, it looks like I know where I'll be crashing while I'm being "reformed'," said Discord as he made air quotes with his fingers. He then teleported at Fluttershy's side and picked her up into his arms to give her a noogie. "With you, Fluttershy," said Discord. He then laughed maniacally as he patted the Valkyrie's head. Fluttershy gulped as she remained still with wide eyes. "Oh, dear," said Fluttershy. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," muttered Junior as he scratched the side of his head and stared with an unsure expression. He then noticed the glares that he was receiving from the rest of the Element Bearers. "In my defense, Celestia had this idea way before I did," said Junior as he raised his hands. "She's what?!" exclaimed Angirasu. Junior stood in the lair with a slight nervous expression as Angirasu held a tight grip on his sweater. "She's letting Discord stay over at her place until she can reform him," said Junior. "Why aren't you with her?! What if he tries to corrupt her again like last time?!" shouted Angirasu. Junior was put off by his friend's frantic mood as it was unusual for him to be this nervous. However, he knew that he was completely justified for his behavior. "Look, Twilight and the others are going to keep a close eye on him. If you want, we can go check on her right now," said Junior as he pried Angirasu's hands off of his sweater. "Yes, we need to do that!" said Angirasu with a frantic nod. "Alright! Relax! You're starting to stress me out with all of that. Now, where's Mosu and Rodan?" asked Junior. "They're visiting the Sirens in the hospital right now. I stayed home to clean," answered Angirasu. Junior sighed. "Alright. You and I can check on Fluttershy and maybe help her with whatever we can," said Junior as he turned and made his way out to the house's exit. Angirasu nodded as he placed a towel at the side and walked after Junior. Later... Junior and Angirasu walked side by side together as they made their way to Fluttershy's cottage. They were in the outskirts of town, where few houses were located at. Angirasu sighed as he bore an anxious expression. "Aang, it's going to be OK. If he tries anything funny, Twilight and the others will turn his ass back to stone. Hell, I'll even toss him into the ocean, where no one can ever reach him," said Junior. "But why is Fluttershy being made to reform him? It's not fair to put her through whatever pain he could be causing," said Angirasu. "You're jumping to conclusions. He's not going to try anything that would get him turned back to stone," said Junior. Angirasu glanced at him with an unsure expression. "How could you know?" asked Angirasu. "Well, I guess I'm going by faith. We're going to need his help if we want to find Sunset Shimmer," said Junior. Angirasu sighed. "By the way, are you two together now?" asked Junior in a curious tone. Angirasu looked away in embarrassment. "No. We have spent some time together though," answered Angirasu. "Oh. Well, no rush. But, don't be afraid to let her know about your feelings," said Junior. "Noted. Still, I'd rather focus on her safety right now than our current relationship status," said Angirasu as he picked up his pace, making Junior walk faster to catch up. As the two continued their quick pace, they stopped dead in their tracks and their eyes widened as they found Fluttershy's cottage levitating high in the air and spinning around. "Oh, hell no!" said Junior as he and Angirasu ran towards the house. "Fluttershy!" called Angirasu. As the Transmutants rushed to the cottage, it slowly descended to the ground. Junior and Angirasu skidded to a halt and watched as the cottage landed firmly on the ground. The two looked at each other in confusion and then rushed towards the cottage. As they were about to burst through the door, it opened. Fluttershy peeked through the door and yelped as Junior and Angirasu charged towards her home. She immediately slammed the door shut and dove for cover. Junior and Angirasu rammed into the door, knocking it off of its hinges. The two yelped as they fell face down onto the ground while Fluttershy raised herself up with a look of worry. "Are you two alright?" asked Fluttershy as she made her way over to the Transmutants. The two raised themselves up as they shook of their disorientation. Angirasu's eyes widened as he found the door to be missing. "Oh, no. Sorry about your door, Fluttershy," said Angirasu as he lowered his head in shame. The Valkyrie merely smiled as she helped Angirasu up to his feet. "It's alright. But what was your rush all about?" asked Fluttershy. Junior stood up to his feet with a bewildered look. "Shy, your cottage was floating over twenty feet into the freaking air!" said Junior. "Oh, that? Well, I was giving Discord his space and allowed him some freedom so that he would be comfortable. It's funny, because Twilight and Spike were here earlier worried about the same thing," said Fluttershy. "Is giving him freedom like that wise?" asked Angirasu in worry. "Well, I'm trying to gain Discord's trust. I think the best way at reforming him is to show him kindness and to offer a hand in friendship," said Fluttershy. Junior held a deadpanned stare. "Uh huh. How's that working out for ya?" asked Junior. Fluttershy smiled brightly. "We're making great progress!" said Fluttershy. Junior and Angirasu looked around the cottage and found the furniture to be overturned and scattered. "I can see that," said Angirasu with a grimace. Junior searched the area with a scowl. "Speaking of Discord, where is that Chimera wannabe?" asked Junior. "Boo!" Discord suddenly appeared from out of Junior's sweater pocket, as if it were a doorway. "Holy cow!" yelped Junior as he jumped back. Discord vanished out of his pocket and reappeared on the flipped over sofa. "Holy cow? You mean this cow?" asked Discord as he gestured to a cow that sat on its haunches. It bore a halo over its head and wore a white robe. The cow played a harp as it sat down. "Uh..." Junior's mind attempted to register what he was seeing. Discord merely snapped his fingers, causing the cow to vanish. He then laughed in amusement as he levitated the sofa back up right and plopped himself on it. "I never took you for such a wuss, Gojira," said Discord. Junior sent him a glare. "Oh, shut up! You startled me!" said Junior. He then gestured to the cottage. "And what the hell is with this mess?! Fluttershy is being kind enough to host you, the least you can do is clean up after yourself!" said Junior. Fluttershy raised a hand with a timid expression. "Oh. Um Goji, that actually isn't-" "Ah! No, this isn't cool. He needs to have some boundaries. It's about respect," said Junior as he turned to face Discord. "Yeah, it's only fair," said Angirasu in agreement. "Oh, you two are complete sticks in the mud! I was going to clean my mess anyway for Fluttershy's dinner party," said Discord as he snapped his fingers. In a flash, the furniture was restored to normal. Discord yawned as he propped his legs up on the far end of the sofa and lied back down. "Dinner party?" asked Angirasu as he faced Fluttershy. "Yes. Later this evening, Twilight and the others are supposed to be coming over for a dinner party. I was going to invite you and the others. I thought it'd be a good opportunity for you and Discord to patch things up," said Fluttershy. Junior sent Discord a look of annoyance as he dug his claw into his ear. "There's nothing to patch. Hell, I don't even care enough," said Junior. Discord suddenly appeared over his shoulder, hovering in the air with his wings. "Oh, come now. There's no reason to be passive aggressive," said Discord. "No reason? You shot me in the chest with your magic!" said Junior. "Yeah, right after you attempted to assassinate me," retorted Discord. Fluttershy's eyes widened. "What?!" exclaimed Fluttershy. Junior avoided eye contact as anxiety grew in him. "Oop! You didn't tell her?" asked Discord as he placed a hand over his mouth as he took on a false look of shock. "I...I thought I could fix everything if I took out the source of the chaos brought in Ponyville," said Junior as he avoided eye contact with Fluttershy. He then sighed heavily. "I was also pretty angry that he made you all the opposites of your elements," said Junior as he rubbed his arm. Fluttershy lightly frowned in response. Discord cleared his throat at the thick atmosphere. "Too be fair, I did force you and spikey head fight to the death against three other Transmutants right after I blasted you," said Discord. Angirasu looked at him in annoyance. "My name is Angirasu," said Angirasu. "Yeah, whatever," said Discord as he hovered over to the living room and rubbed his hands together. "Now, this old cottage will need to be spruced up for dinner," said Discord as he snapped his fingers. The inside of the cottage suddenly changed in the blink of an eye. The entire room appeared to look like a stereotypical depiction of a Prench household's living room. The room was white, with a grayish rug in the center. Several chairs and sofas were in a circle in the living room. Flowers sat on a vase in the corner of the room while a chandelier hung from the white ceiling. "Hmm. What do you think?" asked Discord as he turned to face the Valkyrie and Transmutants. "What the hell are we wearing?" asked Junior with a scowl. He and Angirasu's old clothes were replaced by sweaters that bore white and black stripes, navy blue khakis had replaced their jeans. Meanwhile, Fluttershy found herself in a long sleeved shirt with black and white stripes, along with a black skirt and a beret on her head. She looked at herself in confusion as she tugged at the white ascot scarf that was tied around her neck. "I thought it'd go with the theme," said Discord with a shrug. "Mm!" said Angirasu as he chewed part of a sub sandwich that was in his hand. "It's pretty good!" said Angirasu as he continued to eat the sandwich. Junior looked at him in disbelief. He then gasped as his eyes widened and he began to salivate. "Hey, is that a salami cheese sandwich?" asked Junior. Angirasu glanced at Junior and noticed the hunger in his eyes. He slowly hid the sandwich behind his back. "Um... no?" answered Angirasu. "Come on! Give me half of that sandwich. Preferably the half that you didn't bite," said Junior as he attempted to reach for Angirasu's back. "No! Go get your own!" said Angirasu as he pressed his hand against Junior's shoulder, attempting to keep his friend back. "I can't! Equestria is filled with nothing but vegetarians!" said Junior as he flailed his arms as he attempted to take Angirasu's sandwich. Fluttershy looked on in amusement but then turned to Discord. "Discord, I don't mean to be rude. The place looks lovey. But I don't think this style is appropriate," said Fluttershy. Discord shrugged. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to explore more options," said Discord as he raised his hand and prepared to snap. He then turned to the side. "Alright, who's ready for some home decorating?" whispered Discord as he bore a mischievous smile. He then snapped his finger, causing the room to change again in a flash. The Transmutants and Valkyrie were returned to their usual apparel, along with the sandwich disappearing from existence. Junior and Angirasu both moaned in disappointment. The cottage's inside suddenly transformed into a shack-like appearance. Stones made up the walls and the shoddy wood made up the ceilings and the window frames. A small boiler connected to the wall appeared and bore a small flame. The room was a mess, with an assortment of tools lying everywhere and rope. Junior, Angirasu and Fluttershy looked around in confusion. "Wow. Rarity would not stand for this," said Junior as he looked at the mess. Angirasu sat down on a wooden rocking chair. It gave a loud creak as he rocked back, but then it suddenly collapsed. Angirasu grunted as he fell on his rear. "Yeah, it's a little too brittle," said Angirasu as he sat in the pile of broken wood. "But this place has a bear playing a banjo!" said Discord as he gestured to the corner of the room. A large brown bear sat on its rear with a banjo in its paws. The mammal was wearing a pair of yellow shorts and a blue back pack. From the bear's back pack popped out a bird with a long neck and red crest. Its feathers on its belly and tips of its wings were yellow. The bird held a kazoo in its beak and blew air into it, playing along with the banjo playing bear. "What the- Wait, what kind of bird is that?" asked Junior in confusion. "I believe they're called, 'Breegulls' or something. A stupid name if you ask me," said Discord as he scoffed. Fluttershy giggled as she sat in front of the animals. "You two are very talented! What are your names?" asked Fluttershy. The bear gave a growl while the bird gave a squawk. "Hehe. Those are very fitting names!" said Fluttershy. "Oh god. Are they seriously named after instruments?" asked Junior as he face palmed. "Oh sure, that's silly. Nothing is silly about humans being named after the time of day or the description of something and combined them with verbs that originated from other nouns. 'Twilight Sparkle', 'Rainbow Dash', 'Raaarity'!" scoffed Discord. He then clicked his tongue as he gave a deadpanned stare. "And that goes for naming someone after a legendary creature that's mythological," said Discord. Junior scowled as he crossed his arms. "OK, you made your point!" said Junior in annoyance. "You're in no position to talk either, 'Discord'," said Angirasu as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, but my name, as the kids would say, 'cool'," said Discord. He then snapped his fingers, causing the cottage to return to normal, much to Fluttershy's disappointment. "Aw," said Fluttershy with a pout. "Sorry, but we're not combining with another franchise. Two is enough for a crossover," said Discord as he snapped his fingers again. The cottage's inside suddenly became a swamp-like room, filled with swamp water. The couches sunk to the bottom while Fluttershy waded in the water with a frantic expression. She immediately swam over to a nearby floating log and climbed on it. She stared at Discord in disbelief while Junior and Angirasu sat on a grassy hill, soaked. Discord sighed as he lied on a large lilly pad in the center of the flooded house while mosquito buzzed around. He then slapped the side of his face as a mosquito landed on him. "Hmm. Too swampy," said Discord. Junior scowled in response, but his ears perked as he heard a familiar bellow. He immediately turned and found an alligator growling at him as it opened its jaws. The alligator suddenly burst into a sprint on all fours towards him. Fluttershy screamed out in terror as she watched Junior get tackled to the ground by the large reptile. "Yeah, no shit!" shouted Junior as he punched the alligator in the jaw. "Why would you put alligators in here?!" exclaimed Angirasu as he wrapped his arms around the reptile's jaws, preventing them from opening. "Hey! I included frogs, turtles, and snakes too! It's a swamp, so expect alligators!" said Discord in offense as he held up a frog and a box turtle. Several snakes hung from his arms, hissing. Junior growled in annoyance as he picked the alligator up and threw it into the plants in the water. The creature then swam away, much to Junior's relief. He slumped down onto the ground with a scowl. He suddenly felt a painful pinch on his arm. "Yeow!" cried Junior as he shot up to his feet with a snapping turtle's jaws locked on his arm. "Discord!" said Fluttershy in a scolding tone. Discord sighed in response. "Alright, Alright!" said Discord. He snapped his fingers, causing the swampy interior to change. The interior of the cottage changed into a dark dungeon-like room. The windows had bars over them, the kitchen held a barred cell door and a foul stench. Insects scurried along the brick walls, and human skeletons sat at a large table with shackles on. Fluttershy cried out in fear as she hid herself behind Angirasu, clenching her eyes shut. "Meh. Too grim," said Discord. Angirasu and Junior merely looked at him disapproval as Fluttershy trembled behind Angirasu. "Change it! Change it, now!" pleaded Fluttershy. Discord snapped his fingers again, changing the interior design into a dance floor. The tiles flashed different colors as a disco ball spun from the ceiling. Music began to play in the air as lights flashed in the air. "Where the hell is that music coming from?" asked Junior with a raised brow. "I don't know, but I kind of like it," said Angirasu with a small smile as he nodded his head. He then smiled as he turned to find Fluttershy looking over her new apparel. She wore a long sleeved shirt with multiple bright colors blended in together. Her hair was braided and a headband was wrapped around her head. She wore a pair of flare jeans. She smiled to herself as she felt the plastic butterflies that were clipped onto her hair. "Groovy!" said Fluttershy. "That's a nice look for you," said Angirasu. Fluttershy smiled bashfully. "Th-Thank you," stuttered Fluttershy. Junior sighed as he looked at the interior with a grimace. "A little too groovy," said Junior. Discord scoffed as he stood with in a white suit. A grey afro replaced the hair that was upon his head, with part of his antler and goat horn sticking out from the top. "Maybe this might be your style," said Discord as he snapped his fingers again. The room suddenly became dark. One by one, red lights began to light up the room. The Transmutants' eyes widened while Fluttershy cupped her hands over her mouth with a look of horror. The room was filled with several chairs surrounding a long stage. "What. The fuck?!" shouted Junior. Discord laughed. "And that's not all! Here's a little something for you boys!" said Discord as he snapped his fingers. Fluttershy gasped loudly as she wrapped her arms around Angirasu's neck and pulled him back. "What are you-" Angirasu was interrupted as Fluttershy cupped a hand over his eyes. "Don't look at them! Goji, shield your eyes!" cried Fluttershy as she used her free hand to cover Junior's eyes, obscuring his sight from the half-naked women that walked along the stage, swinging on poles. "Discord!!" growled Junior. Discord scoffed. "Whatever happened to young men wanting to visit the gentleman's club?" asked Discord. "Discord, that is offensive!" said Fluttershy in shock. "Why, Fluttershy! I didn't mean to leave you out," said Discord with a fake frown. Fluttershy's eyes widened. "No! No, no, no, no!" Fluttershy shook her head frantically with a look of dread. "Discord, you better not spawn male strippers in here too!" warned Junior with a growl. He then removed Fluttershy's hand from his eyes and stomped over to the Draconequus. "Goji! Don't look at them! You have a girlfriend!" cried Fluttershy. Junior grabbed Discord by the collar of his coat as his eyes became reptilian. "Get these women out of here and redecorate this cottage into something decent, right now!" ordered Junior. "Fine, party popper," sighed Discord as he snapped his fingers again. The women on stage suddenly vanished into thin air along with the stage. The cottage's interior returned to its original appearance. "Now, this is perfect! Don't you agree?" asked Discord. Junior groaned in annoyance as he grabbed his own hair. "The cottage is back to where it started! What happened to you spicing it up like you said?!" demanded Junior. Fluttershy watched nervously. "Goji, calm down. Pretty please?" said Fluttershy as she tugged at Junior's sweater. The Transmutant inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. He released a heavy sigh as he slumped his shoulders. Discord watched in amusement. "You know, it's funny when you get annoyed and angry," said Discord. Junior growled in annoyance. "Oh. Oh," said Junior as he made his way out the front door. Fluttershy and Angirasu turned in curiosity as the watched the door. They heard a muffled yell from behind the door, causing them to flinch. "I say he's taking it quite well, for all of the shenanigans we've just taken part in," said Angirasu with a reluctant smile. Fluttershy turned to face Discord in disapproval, whom merely hummed to himself as he knitted in midair. "Discord, that was mean of you. Not to mention that last interior design," shuddered Fluttershy. "Yes, perhaps I went a little too far with that last one. Alright, enough fooling around!" said Discord as he snapped his fingers. The interior design of the cottage suddenly changed in a blink of an eye. The floor was made of checkered tiles that were cyan and a darker tone of the same color. In the room sat a large table, a chandelier hung above from the ceiling. The walls were a neon green, appearing to be made up of plaster rather than wood. The entire interior color design of the cottage was indeed an improvement compared to what was last seen. Junior walked back into the house with a sigh, looking calmer. "Excuse me, I needed to get some fre- Whoa," said Junior as his eyes widened in surprise. Fluttershy smiled brightly as she looked over the interior design. "This is wonderful!" said Fluttershy. Angirasu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's nice. Not too over the top, and not too shabby. Nice work," said Angirasu. Discord chuckled as he wore a dark coat with a white, long sleeved button up shirt underneath. A curled mustache appeared over his lips as he slipped on a pair of white gloves. "Well, I did promise dear Fluttershy that I would be reformed! Isn't that right, my dear?" asked Discord. Fluttershy nodded as she gave him a warm smile. Junior and Angirasu gave each other a glance, both knowing what the other was thinking. 'Bullshit,' thought the Transmutants in unison. However, they decided against voicing their disbelief, relying on Fluttershy to hopefully see through his facade. "And I think you are well on your way!" said Fluttershy. Junior and Angirasu looked at the Valkyrie in disbelief. 'She cannot be that gullible!' thought Junior. Angirasu cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his head. "Are you sure? I mean, some of his interior designs seemed...unnecessarily used," said Angirasu. "Angirasu. Discord may have used some questionable designs, but I don't hold him at fault," said Fluttershy with a smile. "Just to be clear, that last one with the gentleman's club design was meant to be a joke," interjected Discord. Junior scoffed as he crossed his arms. "Excuse me when I say that I did not find it funny. Not. One. Bit," said Junior with a hard stare. "Well, that's because you're a stick in the mud. You have no sense of humor!" said Discord. "I do too! Ask them!" said Junior as he gestured to his friends. Fluttershy rubbed her arm. "I...I never actually heard you make a joke before. Nor have I really heard you laugh at one," said Fluttershy. "Shy, come on! It's just that no one has ever told me one. I find some things humorous too. Aang, back me up here!" said Junior as he turned to the other Transmutant. "Eeeeh..." Angirasu looked away with an unsure expression. Junior's eyes widened. "Wait, we've known each other for all of this time and I have not showed any hint at finding certain things funny?" asked Junior. "Well...you do chuckle at sarcasm sometimes. But we never got a clear idea of what you find funny," said Angirasu. "That should literally be impossible! Nothing?!" asked Junior. Angirasu shrugged. "Sorry, you do come off as a bit of a stick in the mud," said Angirasu with a shrug. Junior's shoulders slumped in response. He then took on a hard stare. "Well, I'll have you know that I do have a sense of humor. Think of this, why do governments censor things?" asked Junior. "Why?" asked Fluttershy. "Because they're protecting you from reality," said Junior in a dry tone. An awkward silence filled the air. Angirasu cleared his throat. “Um... Yeah, I get it," said Angirasu. "What? It wasn't funny?" asked Junior with a shrug. "Not really," said Discord. "Um...maybe it was your delivery," suggested Fluttershy. Junior sighed as he walked out the door. "Alright, I'll see if I can come up with another one later," said Junior as he left the cottage. "I'll go get Mosu and Rodan and tell them to come by," "OK. See ya," said Angirasu. As Junior was out of hearing range, Angirasu turned back to Fluttershy. "Yeah, he's too deadpanned. It's hard to laugh at someone's joke like that," said Angirasu. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Anyway, we should talk about what's for dinner. Discord?" Fluttershy turned to Discord with a smile. "Let's explore!" said Discord as he spawned floating plates, filled with different sorts of food. Later... "Wow, you have made a dumb decision with trusting Discord," said Rodan. Junior scowled as he walked alongside Erika, Mosura, and Rodan down the road. "Again, Celestia had the idea at reforming him first. I merely thought he would be useful at finding Sunset Shimmer," retorted Junior. "So, you're relying on your old imaginary friend to help?" asked Erika with a raised brow. "He's not imaginary, not anymore," said Junior with a scowl. Mosura walked closer to Junior's side and met eyes with him. "Well, what are we going to do get him to change?" asked Mosura. Junior scoffed. "Please, I couldn't reform that asshole even if it could lead to the cure of any disease," said Junior. He shook his head. "No, Fluttershy is going to be the one who will reform him. Celestia has a lot more faith in her, and it was her idea to choose her to be the one to reform her." "I still think you're dumb to have allowed it to come to pass. Where is she anyway?" asked Rodan. "I left Aang with her at her place. I know he won't let her out of his sight," said Junior. Rodan chuckled. "Yeah, he's so attracted to her, he can't keep his eyes off of her," said Rodan in a joking tone. Junior hummed to himself. "Hey, do you guys think I have a sense of humor?" asked Junior as he turned to face the other Transmutants. "No," answered Mosura and Rodan in unison. Erika shrugged in response. "Oh," said Junior as he bore a scowl. "Why is that even relevant?" asked Rodan. "Just wondering," answered Junior in a nonchalant tone. Mosura looked at him curiously. "Wait, did someone play a joke on you and you took it seriously, resulting in them to call you out?" asked Mosura. "Well gee, if you knew by scanning my mind, you didn't have to ask," said Junior in annoyance. "I didn't scan you, I was just going by a hunch based on how well I know you," said Mosura as she winked at Junior. The male Transmutant rolled his eyes. "It wasn't even funny, but now I know that people think that I don't have a sense of humor," said Junior. He then smiled to himself. "Buuut... I think I may have another joke that I can share," said Junior. "I'll be looking forward to hear it," said Rodan as he nudged Junior. The group later came across Fluttershy's cottage and found the rest of the Element Bearers to be standing just several feet from the door. "Oh, hey guys!" greeted Twilight with a wave. "Hello," greeted the other Transmutants in unison. Rodan made his way over to Rainbow's side while Junior met with Fluttershy. "Hey, where's Angirasu?" asked Pinkie. "He should be inside with Fluttershy and Discord," answered Junior. "What? Were you too afraid of Discord to stay with them inside?" asked Rainbow with a smirk. "Please, I faced a nasty taste of his chaos magic earlier. I only left to bring the others over," said Junior as he crossed his arms with a scowl. "What did he do?" asked Twilight. Junior shuddered. "I rather not talk about it," said Junior. Twilight sighed. "Well, if he tries anything funny, we'll handle it," said Twilight as she gestured to the Element of Harmony on her head. Junior cleared his throat. "Yeah, with the Elements, he'll be 'stoned'," said Junior with a small smile. "Huh?" "Uh...what?" asked Twilight with a look of confusion. The rest of the humans and Transmutants looked at him in confusion. Junior merely held his smile. "Get it? Because he was a stone? 'Stoned' is used to describe someone under the influence of drugs. And-," said Junior as he attempted to explain the joke, Rainbow crossed her arms. "No dude. Jokes are funny," deadpanned Rainbow. Junior sighed as he lowered his head. "Let's just go inside," mopped Junior as he made his way to the cottage. Applejack leaned close to Mosura. "What's wrong with him?" whispered Applejack. "Oh, don't mind him. He just learned something about himself. I think he's trying to change that, or at least prove something," said Mosura. The rest of the group proceeded over to Fluttershy's cottage. Rarity sighed as she looked at her violet dress. "I'm certainly glad that I did not bother to wear my fanciest outfit to this dinner party. This is going to be a disaster!" said Rarity. "Yeah, can't we just turn him back to stone and tell Princess Celestia that Discord tried to take over Equestria again?" asked Rainbow. "Hey, you girls can lie to her all you want. I'm tired of lying to my adoptive mother. I've done it for years," said Junior as he crossed his arms with a scowl. "No, let's stay the course. Fluttershy thinks this is the way to reform Discord and asked us to give it a chance," said Twilight as she turned to face the rest of the group. Suddenly, the cottage door opened, revealing Discord. "Oh, our guests!" cried Discord in an upper class voice. He opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to roll down to the ground like a large red carpet. The tongue-like carpet reached the group at Twilight's feet. Discord reappeared beside her and bowed. "We're so delighted that you've come. Please, do come in," The group looked to each other in reluctance and then back to the cottage. One by one, they all began to enter the cottage. Inside, they found Fluttershy standing by a large table with golden plates on them. Angirasu stood by with his arms crossed and with a look of disappointment on his face. "See what a beautiful job he did helping? Discord set the entire table himself. I'm so proud," said Fluttershy. "I could've done it too," muttered Angirasu as he shot Discord a look of annoyance. The Draconequus suddenly vanished in a flash and reappeared with his upper body sticking out of the wall and rack that held a hat. "May I take your... *Ahem* ...hats, ladies?" asked Discord as he reached for Twilight's Element of Harmony. The Elf gasped as she immediately ducked under his lion paw and stepped away from the Spirit of Chaos. "Hang on to your elements, girls. It's gonna be a bumpy night," said Twilight with a wary expression. Everybody sat together at the table that sat inside of the redecorated cottage. Plates were filled with their meals were front of them. “Ugh. I'm gonna go nuts if I don't eat any meat," muttered Junior with a scowl. Mosura nudged his side. "You'd better eat some tonight, you remember what Amber said about the spirit essence. I rather not hear about you hunting while sleep walking," whispered Mosura. Junior scoffed. "I don't sleep walk," said Junior. He then cleared his throat as he looked to Angirasu, Fluttershy and Discord. "Right. As you all know, Princess Celestia hoped we'd help Discord use his magic for good instead of evil," said Fluttershy as she looked to all of her friends. She then noticed Pinkie was already in the middle of enjoying her meal. "Pinkie Pie, care for some gravy?" asked Fluttershy. Pinkie smiled as her lips were covered in food. "You bet!" said Pinkie. "Allow me," said Discord as he focused his attention on the gravy boat that sat on the table. In a flash, the inanimate object suddenly became animate. The gravy boat began to pant like a dog. It began to scurry along the table as it continued to pant. Pinkie clapped her hands as she stared at the object with delight. "Oh, what a cute little gravy boat you are! Yes you are! Yes you are!" cooed Pinkie as she began to pet the gravy boat. It then used the amount of gravy, that hung out like a tongue, to lick Pinkie's cheek. It then tilted forward and began to pour gravy onto her plate. "That's one creepy little gravy boat if you ask me," said Rainbow. Fluttershy looked at her in disapproval. "Oh, come on now, Dashie. You're not even giving this a chance," said Fluttershy. The gravy boat then scurried over to Rainbow's place at the table and poured gravy down onto her lap. Her eyes widened as she felt the searing pain through her jeans, prompting her to shoot up into the air. "Hey! That's hot!" said Rainbow. "Whoops! I'm so sorry!" chuckled Discord. "He did that on purpose!" said Rainbow as she pointed an accusing finger in the Draconequus's direction. Fluttershy looked at him in suspicion. "Oh, well, I don't know about that. Mistakes happen. Oh, look, everybody, dancing candles!" said Discord, directing everyone's attention away from him and to the candles that hopped around the table. Erika stared warily. "You alright?" asked Mosura as she glanced at her. "Sorry, this just reminds me of a poltergeist, is all," said Erika with a nervous chuckle. Suddenly, the flames on the candles were blown out by Rainbow. "I'm not falling for that! Discord's just trying to distract us from–" Rainbow was interrupted as the candles levitated into the air and poked her head and body. "Hey! Knock it off!" shouted Rainbow in pain as she held her head. She then shot Discord a glare. "I suppose that's another "mistake"? "No, I think you just made them mad,"said Discord. Twilight looked on suspiciously. "There's something fishy going on," said Twilight. She then noticed the fish shaped soup tureen started to move. It leapt into the air and sprayed Twilight in the face with soup, causing her to fall back in her seat. Junior gasped as he watched her fall over and turned to find the tureen focused on him. It then sprayed soup against his face, forcing its way into his nose. "Gah!" cried Junior as he slammed his head down on the table, causing it to rock. He cupped his nose as he slammed his fist on the table. "Oh god, it burns!" The soup tureen continued to spray its contents into the faces of the others at the table, excluding Fluttershy. Junior growled as he raised his head with his eyes appearing reptilian. "I'm gonna come over this table, break your goat horn and shove it up your-" Junior was sprayed in the face again by the tureen. "Discord?" Fluttershy called in a worried tone. "Well, it's hardly my fault if the soup tureen finds the term ‘something fishy’ to be offensive," said Discord. Rarity gasped as she found the tureen focused on her. "Not the dress! Not the dress!" cried Rarity as she sprayed by soup and forced back out of her seat. The tureen turned to face Applejack and sprayed her as well. "That tureen's only doin' what you're makin' it do!" said Applejack. "Now let's not jump to any conclusions," interjected Fluttershy. Angirasu sent Discord a glare as he held in his amused laughter and smile. "Fluttershy! Can't you see what he's doing? He's playing innocent with you so you'll never agree to use the Elements of Harmony against him!" said Rainbow as she forced the attacking candles away. The tureen then turned to face her and sprayed its soup. "How much soup does this thing have?!" exclaimed Rodan as he grabbed a silver serving dish lid and tossed it to Rainbow. "Oh, well, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?" asked Discord with a frown. As the tureen to spray everyone at the table, Rainbow dropped down from the air and trapped it inside of the serving dish lid. "You see what I'm saying, right, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow. Fluttershy merely kept an unsure expression. "Fluttershy!" called Rainbow. Fluttershy took on a firm expression. "You know what I see? I see that Discord's far from perfect, but I also see none of you giving him a chance!" said Fluttershy in disapproval. Everyone in the room gave a collective groan and complaint. "What's gotten into you?! Why do you keep cutting him so much slack?" demanded Rainbow. Fluttershy wrapped an arm around Discord's shoulder and stood close to him. "Because that's what friends do," said Fluttershy. Discord's eyes widened in surprise as he replayed Fluttershy's words in his mind. "We're friends?" asked Discord in a soft tone. Angirasu's brow raised as he caught his tone. "Why, of course! I can't remember my house ever being this lively before you came along," said Fluttershy with a smile. Discord looked away. "Oh... Well, I've... never really had a friend before," said Discord. He felt confusion swirl inside of himself on how to process this information. He then felt Fluttershy take his paw into her hands as she gave him a warm smile. "Well, now you do!" said Fluttershy. Discord lightly smiled in response. Everyone looked on in surprise in the room. However, few still felt that Discord was putting on a facade. Angirasu rubbed his chin in thought. The sound of the nearby window opening reached the ears of everyone present. They turned and found Angel bunny hopping through the open window and landing on the table. He began to hop frantically as he gave a worried chitter. "Now is not a good time, Angel. We're having a dinner party," said Fluttershy. "Hold up! I-I think he's trying to tell us something!" said Applejack as Angel picked up a glass of water. He poured it over himself and began to splash frantically. He then made his way over to an apple and held it up. "Apple!" cried the Element Bearers, excluding Fluttershy. Angel then pointed towards Applejack. "Applejack!" cried the Element Bearers, excluding Fluttershy and Applejack, in unison. Angel merely face palmed in response. He proceeded to hop to the far end the table and dragged a pitcher filled with sweet liquid over to the center. "Oh, oh, oh! Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Rarity. Angel nodded as he hopped with joy. Rainbow's eyes widened. "Flooding at Sweet Apple Acres! And we all know who's behind that now, don't we?!" said Rainbow as she pointed an accusing finger at Discord. "Who, me?" asked Discord in an innocent tone. A halo suddenly appeared over his head. Rainbow scoffed as everyone in the room left their seats. "Oh, give it a rest! What do you think of your "friend" now, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow as she followed out the rest of the humans and a majority of the Transmutants. Fluttershy looked at Discord in suspicion while the Spirit of Chaos merely shrugged. Junior sighed as he stood up from his seat and then glared at Discord. "What is wrong with you?" asked Junior. He then turned to fully face the Draconequus. "You're being given a second chance by Celestia to change your ways, so you don't have to spend eternity as a statue getting shit on by the birds!" said Junior. Mosura placed a hand on Junior's shoulder. "Goji, calm down," said Mosura. "No! No, I am not going to calm down! Not over this!" said Junior as he glared at Mosura, causing her to shrink back. He then turned back to Discord, who merely held a neutral expression. "You know what? You may have Fluttershy's good grace, but you don't have mine. I still remember what you did to my friends! That's not an easy thing to let go. Hell, I was actually considering it if Fluttershy succeeded in changing you," said Junior. He then turned and walked away. Mosura sighed as she walked after him. "But if you want to continue to do everything that you want, by all means, do it. Squander the opportunity for true freedom that's being offered," said Junior with a hard stare. Angirasu merely glanced at Fluttershy and Discord. "Hmm. Well, I always knew that he was one to hold a grudge. Why, he once told me how he loathed one specific Transmutant the most," said Discord as he crossed his arms. Fluttershy glanced at him with a frown. "I mean, what does he care whether I change or not?" "Discord, he's just worried about us. Maybe... Deep down, he wants the only person that would listen to him to change his ways. Since he felt he could relate to you," said Fluttershy. "Well, it wasn't like that I had a choice. Besides, he related to me he thought I was monstrous in appearance, just like him," said Discord with a shrug. He then watched as Junior left the cottage with Mosura. Fluttershy sighed. "Be that as it may, he just wants things to turn out well. Now, I'll go on ahead to see what's going on at Sweet Apple Acres. Meet me there," said Fluttershy as she ran out the door and took off into the air. Mosura made her way back to the cottage with a look of disappointment as she passed Fluttershy. Angirasu glanced at Discord, wondering what to say. Discord sighed. "Though, it was... less lonely when he was around. And... I sort of pity him, to be honest," said Discord. Angirasu turned to face Discord in surprise. "You do?" asked Angirasu. Discord nodded. "Ever since he was child, he was lonely. He never really had any friends. Honestly, I didn't care because I was serving an eternal sentence in stone. I figured that one day, he'd stop visiting me and speak to me as if I could talk back," said Discord. He then pulled out a projector screen out of nowhere. As the lights in the cottage dimmed, and the light from the projector displayed an image of the wall. It was an image of Junior as a child sitting in front of the statue with a smile on his face. The younger version of the Transmutant conversed with the motionless statue. "However, something disturbing happened," said Discord. The footage of this memory fast forward through the days at high speed. Junior was shown with the statue in a time lapse throughout the seasons of the years. Soon, the young boy was beginning to grow taller and older with each second. It then showed footage of a teenage Junior sitting beside the statue with a cup of coffee in his hand. "He never moved on," said Discord. Angirasu and Mosura watched with a frown as Junior turned to face the statue. Junior in the memory sighed. “I wonder how Celestia can stand me. I’m sure that I embarrass her to no end. I’m always getting into fights, and I’m not really the most sophisticated individual here in Canterlot,” said Junior with a heavy sigh in the memory. The scene changed to Junior on another day, chuckling as he wiped his bleeding nose as he adjusted his torn sweater. “I told those idiots not to mess with me. But they, like every other meathead, kept at it. I may look bad, but you should see the other guys,” chuckled Junior as he sniffled through his bleeding nose. His expression lost its smugness as he slumped his shoulders and sighed. “And like always, I’m looked at as the instigator. How can I get people not to tense around me with a reputation like that? Not to mention people think that I should’ve walked away. Pfft. Whatever, that’s cowardly,” said Junior with a scoff as he wiped his bleeding nose. The scene than changed to Junior when he was at a young age, sitting next to the statue with red cheeks as he rubbed his head. “Hey Discord, you ever had a crush on someone?” asked Junior as he looked to the statue. All he received was silence. Junior chuckled. “Yeah. This might seem kinda dumb, but there’s this girl that I know. I sometimes see her around the castle. I actually kinda like her,” said Junior. He then sighed. “Oh, you should've seen her! She has this amazing crimson hair! It's bright and beautiful like a phoenix's feathers!” said Junior as his chest pounded as he thought back to his crush. “I also sort of have a thing with girls with pointy ears. I don’t know. Elf girls just have an endearing quality to them with those ears,” said Junior as he sat. He then sighed heavily. “Ah. But she like a few years older than me. I couldn’t talk to someone like her, it’d be too weird. I mean, even if age wasn’t the issue, there’s still me,” said Junior as he propped his chin up with a hand. He shook his head. “I doubt that she would like me. I mean, look at my track record of being in trouble. I’m not sophisticated like all of these other people in Canterlot, and I have a temper that I know will scare her off. It sucks,” said Junior as he slumped against the stone statue with a solemn expression. The projector stopped playing the memories, and the lights came back on. "Discord, what was going through your mind when you watched Gojira?" asked Mosura. "Nothing. I just thought that he should get over it! It's pathetic to belly ache about stuff like that," said Discord with a scoff. Angirasu looked at Discord with a glare. "Hey, not everyone can be as carefree as you. He wasn’t understood by his peers, despite keeping the fact that he’s a Transmutant a secret. Imagine how he was feeling wondering how things would go if they did know, “said Angirasu. He then watched as Discord kept a neutral expression as he kept his back on him. "Discord... you had to have cared a little bit, right? He was the only one who visited you and talked to you while in your prison," said Mosura. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, I was just an inanimate object to him of a legendary ruler that he could make up conversations with. What's special about that?" asked Discord in annoyance. "The fact that you listened and you remembered everything that he told you makes it special. Someone who he thought would understand him," said Mosura. She then sighed as she walked away. "But I guess he learned that he was wrong about you. It's sad to know that the closest one he could consider a friend actually put him down, crushing his hopes for something better. Even though that person was a stone statue," said Mosura. Angirasu followed Mosura towards the door but stopped. He sighed heavily as he turned to face Discord. "You know, you should consider yourself lucky that Fluttershy was chosen to help reform you. Anyone else would have given up on you already and call the others to change you back to stone. We know that you're putting a big act, but you seem genuine about your reaction when she called you friend," said Angirasu. Discord merely kept a scowl as he looked at the Transmutant. "Perhaps you should worry about yourself," said Discord with a scoff. "Perhaps. But Fluttershy is very dear to me. I just don't want her to get hurt. Especially by someone whom she's trying to help," said Angirasu as he turned away and began to walk out the door. Discord sighed in annoyance as he left the cottage. "Help me? Enslaving me is what you're all trying to do," said Discord to himself.