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// FriENdshIP CoMeS IN ChAOs 
// Story: House of Sun 
// by Riossumari 
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Spike and Shining stood nervous in the cardboard dungeon, they looked around for a way out but there was none to be found. They were all too aware that they were at Discord’s mercy right now. 
“So what do we do now?” Spike asked, 
Shining looked around and answered. “I have no idea!” 
After a moment Discord’s voice began to echo throughout the dungeon again, “Better find the exit soon, the Squizard’s forces are sure to come looking for you would be heroes.” The two turned to see a group of cardboard skeletons cutouts approaching them, this confused them slightly of course. 
“Uhh, are they actually supposed to be a threat? Their just cardboard...” Spike said. One came to a stop behind Spike and began to pummel him across the head, each hit getting stronger as it continued. 
“Ow, Ow, OW! Cut it out already!” Spike shouted as he pointed his staff at the cutout and to his surprise a beam of magic fired out from the end destroying the skeleton. Shining and Spike looked surprised at what had happened. 
“Wait, this actually works?” Spike said looking at the staff in his claws. 
Suddenly Shining shouted to Spike, “Look out!” as he leapt over Spike and drew his axe destroying a small group of skeletons that had reached where they were standing. Shining smiled happy to see his weapon was real as well, 
“Okay, you gotta admit this is kinda cool.” he said. Before Spike could answer though Discord began to speak up again, 
“Oh but that was the easy part, now you’ve got to roll to see if you make it out of the dungeon at all.” Discord cackled. Then a giant twenty sided dice fell from nowhere on the far side of the hall and slowly began to roll towards them. Spike and Shining screamed in a panic as the dice rolled down the hall after them. The dice was slowly beginning to gain on them when Shining noticed a small gap in the wall and grabbed Spike ducking out of the way as the giant dice just missed them. 
“Did you see that?! We could’ve died just now!” Spike shouted to Shining, 
“Yeah, I know. Let’s just find the way out like he said already. I don’t want to be here any more than you do.” Shining added as he and Spike continued down the hall. The two made their way down the hall dodging traps and fighting cardboard skeletons as they went, eventually making it to a wide open room where they could finally see the exit. They tried to rush out of the dungeon when a cutout of the Squizard appeared barring their path, it spoke with Discord’s voice of course mocking them. 
“Oh you didn’t think you’d just up and leave without a boss battle now did you?” Discord asked as the Squizard began to fire magic blasts at them. Spike and Shining panicked and ran separate ways, the Squizard laughed aloud mocking the two as they fled. 
“You two want to get out of here? Then you’ll have to get past me! Mwa ha ha ha.” the Squizard shouted. Spike listened to his words and decided enough was enough he wanted out already and leapt out from his hiding spot firing magic blasts from his staff. 
“Take that!” he shouted, the Squizard dodged Spike’s attacks however laughing as he did. 
“Oh you’ll have to do better than that I’m afraid!” he said before Shining’s ax suddenly slammed into the Squizard cutout cutting him clean in two. 
“Nooo!” he groaned as his pieces fell to the floor before disappearing into a cloud of confetti. 
“Let’s get out of here already!” Spike shouted as he and Shining rushed and dove through the exit wasting no time.




In a flash of light Shining and Spike fell onto their stomachs finally back inside the castle study. Discord float above the table behind them a smile on his face. 
“Now see how much more fun it is once you’ve added a little bit of chaos to the day?” he asked. 
Shining stood up and turned to face Discord angrily shouting, “Fun!? You almost got us killed in there twice! How is that fun?” 
Discord appeared behind Shining a smile on his face, “Oh please, if I really wanted to kill you I’d have done something far more dangerous and less fun than that.” he asked. Spike stood up and dusted himself off, 
“That wasn’t funny Discord we could’ve really gotten hurt back there...” he said. In a flash of his magic Shining, Spike, and Discord found themselves standing around the table again. 
“Oh come on, that was just the first dungeon. Imagine what kind of antics we’ll be able to get into next time?” he asked, Spike was slowly getting angry at the thought of Discord putting him and his brother in danger again. What if he dragged Twilight or Cadence in next time? Or Luna and Celestia? He thought. Discord stood beside Spike putting his arm around him and said to Shining, 
“Besides, its all just fun and games what’s a little bit of danger between a group of friends? Am I right Spike?” Discord asked, Spike’s temper finally hit its boiling point as he grabbed the table and flipped it over everything atop it scattering across the room. 
“WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!!!” Spike shouted at Discord before hopping out of his chair and storming out of the room not looking back as he flung the door open. Shining and Discord watched for a moment silently before Discord spoke up again, 
“Well then, if were not friends I guess that means I won the bet!” Discord cheered a snap of his fingers and he was dressed in a yellow safety vest and hard hat. “Oh I have so many new design choices for Canterlot now that its all mine. Obviously the gravity has got to go, and I’m thinking some coy fish in a lava pond will really bring out the gardens. Let’s not forget Celestia’s new mane of course...” he said. 
Shining slowly turned to look back at Discord an angry scowl on his face. Discord could see how angry he was but immediately defended his actions as expected. 
“Oh what? I never broke any of the rules, I won fair and square. He’s just being a sore loser, don’t try and make me into the bad guy now.” Discord replied. 
Shining just shook his head, “The one creature in all of Equestria who actually wanted to be your friend….and that’s how you treat him. Hope your happy now, you won just like you wanted. Now you can enjoy it all on your own.” Shining snapped before walking out of the room to follow Spike. Discord stood silent for a moment, a few seconds after Shining had left he finally spoke up. 
“Don’t think you can try to guilt me! I’m perfectly okay with how this turned out. Watch! I’m going to go right back to what I was doing and you won’t have any impact on it at all.” Discord said as he began to snap his fingers changing things in the room as he did, but Discord came to a stop when looked at the turned over table looking around the room he realized that he’d been having fun all day but because he had others to enjoy it with. Discord walked over and sat down in one of the chairs nearby, 
“Well played Spike...” he said as he snapped his fingers again changing everything back to normal.




Spike sat on the edge of his bed his face cupped in his hands, he looked up as he heard a knocking at his bedroom door. 
“Hey bro, how’re you holding up?” Shining asked as he walked into the room and sat down beside him. 
“I just thought he could change...am I wrong to think that was possible?” Spike asked. Shining put his hoof on Spike’s shoulder to comfort him, 
“Hey, there’s a reason why Princess Celestia and Luna sealed him up. Besides no pony here is gonna blame you for at least trying when the rest of us just wanted to fight him and be done with it. You should be proud that you even got him behave as well as he did.” Shining said. 
Spike sighed, “Yeah, I guess so...” a few seconds passed when another voice spoke up. 
“I know right? The lord of Chaos making friends? I can’t say I saw it coming.” Spike and Shining both looked up to see Discord now sitting beside them both, they quickly got angry though thinking he was only there to mock them again. 
“What do you want now? You already won the stupid bet!” Spike snapped, Discord stood up and cautioned the two as they got angry. 
“Now, Now, I understand that you think I’m just here to kick a pony while their down. But I actually wanted to just say that I’m sor….” Discord strained as he tried to say the last word of his sentence. Spike and Shining looked at one another confused, 
“What?” they both asked. 
Discord groaned, “I said that I’m ss..s….” he continued to stutter and slur his words over and over. After several attempts Spike finally lost patience and stood up pointing at Discord, 
“If you’re just gonna make fun of us then get out of here Discord!” he shouted. Discord let out an annoyed groan leaning back as he did, 
“Oh for the love of...” he replied, he snapped his fingers and a small windup toy of himself appeared in his hand. Discord turned the key a few times and then held it out the toy speaking in his voice. “I’M SORRY!” Afterwards the toy disappeared in a flash and Discord stood watching the two in front of him, Spike and Shining looked at one another surprised. 
“Wait, for real? This isn’t a trick or something?” Shining asked. 
Discord crossed his arms and explained, “I know it seems strange to hear from me of all creatures, but I found that today was only as much fun as it was because I had you two around. To be honest if I got to keep coming back having fun like this over and over, I don’t think it would be so bad. So what do you say Spike? Friends?” Discord held out his hand with a smile, Spike thought for a moment before whispering something to Shining who looked back at Spike and nodded in agreement. 
“Okay, but first you have to prove it. Remember what you did with the dungeon before? Think you could do it again? Only less scary this time.” Spike asked with a smile, Discord simply looked at Spike and Shining with a smile and held up his hand and snapped his fingers.




Twilight and Cadence walked down the hall towards the study, 
“I know Shining said he’d keep an eye on Spike. But, I’m still kinda worried. It’s been a few hours since we’ve seen anything really Discord worthy.” Twilight said. The two reached the door and Cadence reassured Twilight, 
“I’m sure they have everything under control, I mean maybe Spike actually made Discord into a friend.” Cadence replied. 
“All the same, let’s just take a quick peek and make sure they’re ok.” Twilight said opening the door, almost immediately an arrow with a suction cup on the end flew across the room sticking to Twilight’s forehead. Twilight stood stunned from the surprise and looked into the study to see it had been changed into a cardboard and paper forest, cardboard cutouts of monsters trying to attack Spike, Shining, and Discord who were all dressed up as medieval adventurers fighting back smiles on all their faces. Twilight and Cadence watched for a moment in awe, 
“Well...maybe we’ll just let them finish up first then come back to check.” Twilight said nervously, 
Cadence broke into a smile though and said to Twilight with glee. “Are you joking? I don’t know what’s going on, but this looks like so much fun! I want in!” Cadence rushed into the room as she entered the area where the others were playing she immediately changed to have a scepter and white clerics robe. She paused for a moment to look at her clothes than ran up to the others excitedly. 
Shining took notice and announced, “Ho fellow adventurers! A noble cleric has come to join our party!” Cadence hopped in place excited when Discord shouted, 
“Onward to adventure!!!”