//------------------------------//
// Rarity - On Happiness 
// Story: One on One Philosophy with Discord 
// by CrackedInkWell 
//------------------------------//

‘What am I doing wrong?’ Rarity wondered. It was late at night and in her large bed she lay there in the finest sheets money could buy, she was wide awake. Hours ago, she had returned from Canterlot where Fancy Pants held one of his parties. She was up not because something went wrong – far from it. The party was a success in her book. It took place in Fancy’s mansion, the Canterlot elite was there, food and drinks were plentiful, the entertainment was well refined, and she had established a complex network of contacts for any future projects she may have. 
 
Besides, she knew that business was doing rather well too. She had paid her taxes earlier than expected with plenty left over. Even writing out checks for charities wasn’t a problem this year. 
 
Not only that but as it turns out, that contrary to popular belief, Fleur de Lis is Fancy’s bodyguard and not his marefriend. She found out that recently Fancy is looking for love and has left the party leaving more than an impression on the stallion. Who knows, maybe a romance for her is just around the corner.
 
Besides, her relaxing few weeks in Prance was around the corner and she was seriously looking forward to it.
 
Yet, lying in bed, she can’t help the feeling as if something is missing. The fact that she already has an idea of what it was is enough to raise concern for herself. It was a feeling that she was embarrassingly familiar with. And for good reason too as she saw it.
 
‘Why am I not… happy?’ 
 
Not that she was unable to feel it. On some days, she was able to experience it for at least fifteen minutes or so. After all, it should be easy, being happy. Her friends seem to know how to do it, so why does she feel as if she’s the exception? What are they doing that she’s not? She has money. She has refined tastes. She’s cultured and knows what she likes. So, this ought to be a simple affair.
 
But why is it so difficult?
 
So, in trying to figure out this philosophical problem, she turned to Discord. While the school was having its lunch break, she trotted down the halls to the Draconequus’s classroom.  She noticed that next to the door there was a little sign – the chalkboard kind one would see next to the door of restaurants – where the edges are encompassed by lightbulbs, flickering around like a theater sign. Written on this sign in beautiful handwriting was the words:
 


HAPPINESS: Or How I Stopped Worrying 24/7 and Learned to Love the Simple Stuff.


 
Rarity paused. Did Discord already know what she was going to ask? Not that she minded, it would just make what she had to do a good deal quicker. So, she turned the knob and opened the door. Behind it was Discord in an opera box, holding a clipboard and looking down at the interior of a theater. Curious, Rarity stepped forward to see that this opera house was full of hundreds, perhaps thousands of other Discords, all chatting and waiting for the big red curtain to rise.
 
“Ah, Rarity!” Discord said, taking notice of her. “You’re just in time!”
 
“What are you doing?”
 
“A certain yellow birdy told me that you’re trying to figure out what happiness in its purest form is, so I decided to lend you several hands, hooves, wings, claws, and tentacles.”
 
“And I suppose Fluttershy has told you my dilemma?”
 
“Not exactly.” He replied, “More like Fluttershy’s birds who happened to be in your neighborhood that told me.”
 
“Well… I see. Now if you could just explain to me, darling, I will be on my-”
 
“Before you say anything else,” Discord interrupted, holding up the clipboard, “what’s your ideal happy life?”
 
Rarity blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
 
The next thing the unicorn knew, she sat on Discord’s lap who all of a sudden wore a fat suit with red and white trimmings, a fake white beard, and a cap on his head. “What would you like to have in life if you didn’t have any restrictions at all? What sort of place would you prefer to live in? What kind of food would you like to have every day? What kind of toys would you have? What kind of ponies would you like to be friends with? Go on, name it. What’s the sort of stuff that you always wanted to have?”
 
“Huh…” Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “If I’m being honest, there’s a lot of things I could name.”
 
“Like…?” Discord asked eagerly, clipboard at the ready to record.
 
“Well, a good amount of wealth to be more than secure. Probably better than my current situation is always a great positive. A villa by the sea – having a striking view is important.”
 
“Any particular style?”
 
“Prench rococo, obviously. Complete with a swimming pool, and a magnificent garden in the back. Complete with a spacious kitchen and pantry with the finest of foods. A dining room with large windows. A sewing room that has everything I need to create. A theater room very much like this space.” She waved a hoof to the opera house. “A staircase that has a glass dome on top. Some bedrooms. And my room, everything that a lady would need including a walk-in closet and a luxurious bathroom to help melt my troubles away.”
 
“Uh-huh…” Discord nodded, jotting down the order. “Anything else?”
 
“Yes. Immediate access to any fine dining restaurant in the world. A blimp that has suites that compare with any five-star hotel. Enough room for at least twenty ponies for each room. Frequent vacation spots in every cultural city in the world, including the finest apartments in the best of neighborhoods. A collection of the finest art, preferably Monet. Not to mention a good stock of hoof-crafted liquors. And perhaps a fleet of carriages that could rival that of the royals.”
 
Discord looked up from the clipboard. “Anything else, Your Majesty?”
 
Rarity frowned. “I suppose that would do as a start.”
 
“Good enough for me.” After he finished writing something, he hooked the clipboard onto a hook that Rarity didn’t notice as it seemed to have come out of nowhere. He tugged at it and the clipboard went flying upwards into the ceiling. “So why exactly would you want all of this?”
 
There was a pause, while Rarity gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean? These are the things that luxury is made of.”
 
“Luxury, yes. But if you had these, would you be happy?”
 
“Well… wouldn’t I?”
 
Discord didn’t answer as the lights in the theater dimmed and the mummer from the audience of his copies shushed. A spotlight was lit up on the very center of the stage, and with a fanfare, the curtains parted open for a bit in which another Discord in doublet and hose stepped out with a script in his lion’s paw. 
 
“All the world’s a stage and- oh! Sorry! Wrong play.” He said, tossing the script aside, getting a laugh from the audience. “That’s what you get when you’re being told last minute what you’re doing. Anyway!” Clearing his throat, the Discord actor began: “Once upon a time there was a wealthy city called Árma.” 
 
The gigantic curtains parted, and there on the stage of a coastal town by the sea. Rarity was struck by how realistic the scene was. In the distance, she can see the clear blue ocean that was dotted with villas. And the town itself displayed shops, restaurants, theaters, boutiques, and homes in that Prench rococo style. Everything about this town from the well-trimmed gardens to the cleanliness of the main street they looked down on was screaming to the heavens about their wealth. Even the other Discords who populated this town, there wasn’t a thread that Rarity could see that was neither out of place nor out of style. Despite each ranging from a different period in history – even several that she had never seen before – there wasn’t one piece of clothing that was dated nor ugly. It was surreal, but gorgeous to look at.
 
The actor continued. “This old city has been said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It wasn’t big, if anything, it was quite small. Although life here went on at a leisure pace, there were plenty of riches and wealth to go around. The architecture from home to business – magnificent! The clothes that the citizens wore – to die for. Even the humble foods that were served – like nothing in the world! And because of this wealth, the citizens here have more time to think about the important things in life. Such as-”
 
“What makes all creatures good?” A Discord actor in a silk robe fit for an emperor asked, looking out to the audience.
 
“How should power be run?” Another Discord in a slick dark suit inquired.
 
“Does this sandwich come with sundried tomatoes?” Asked a Discord in full body armor, asking a waiter at one of the restaurants.
 
“I don’t know about you,” Rarity whispered to the Discord next to her, “but I find this town rather marvelous.”
 
“Indeed, this town was rather marvelous,” the Discord out of a Shakespur play agreed on stage. “But alas! As ideal and perfect as this town was on the outside, it hid a rather dark secret.” After pulling on a chain from the sky, the stage instantly turned from day to night as, from the windows of the town, Rarity can see the shadows of other Discords. Many were arguing, some were fighting, and many, many were crying. Underneath a lit streetlamp, the doublet and hose Discord laments. “As rich as they were, not one of them was happy. It all seemed so easy, doesn’t it? All one needs in life were enough money, a romantic relationship, and to have the latest and greatest in luxury life had to offer is all you need…? Right? Yet, although this town has all those things and more, not one in this town could figure out why they were not happy.”
 
After pulling on the chain again to bring back the day, the narrator in hose continued, “It was then that, one day, a new resident came to town.” As he walked off the stage, a new actor walked on. This particular Discord had on the guise of an Ancient Pegasi, complete with white, flowing robes and a laurel reef on his head. Underneath his lion’s arm was a bundle of rolled-up paper in which he strode up to one of the town’s billboards to stick an advertisement up before exiting off stage.
 
Then, one of the Discords in a strange costume took notice of the flyer before being joined by many others.
 
“What is it?” One of them asks.
 
“It says… ‘Now Open: Epicurus’s School of Happiness?’”
 
Rarity looked up at the Discord near him, confused. “Epicurus? Are we talking about the pony that advocated the pleasure concept? The one that talked about hedonistic ideals?”
 
“The kind that there’s a magazine that’s all about luxury?” Discord inquired.
 
Rarity nodded. “Yes. I have a subscription where I get a copy once a month… But I don’t understand. This town is doing all that to a T, I thought they were already following his philosophy.”
 
“Fun fact,” Discord said as the curtains on stage suddenly dropped. “Everything you think you know about the guy has come off from the rumors about him. You see, unlike so many philosophers that asked what makes one good, he’s asking what was fun. As soon as the town heard that he was setting up a school on happiness, the rumors went through the roof and into the stratosphere.” The curtains rose again, this time to a dinner party in the foyer of a mansion. Complete with tables of food to the detailed marble columns with gold trimmings, for Rarity, it looked exactly how she described the interior of her ideal home to Discord earlier. “For example, a few months after the School of Happiness was opened, the town of Árma began to speculate.”
 
“Have you heard?” One of the aristocratic-looking Discords asked, wine glass in his talons. “About what is going on in Epicurus’s school?”
 
“Do tell?” A Discord in a white powdered wig inquired.
 
“I’ve heard that at the school, they serve hundred-course feats every night! Where the students gorge on themselves for hours, making this banquet of ours look a mere snack in comparison.”
 
“Ha! That’s nothing!” The other Discord replied. “I’ve heard that the school has collected the greatest works of art so they could admire them all day long. Going to that school would be like visiting a museum.”
 
“Oh, that’s adorable.” Another Discord, who had the outfit of a company CEO. “But I’ve got one better. I’ve heard that the school hosts some… how do I put this…? Naughty no-clothes parties every night. Why Epicurus himself had managed to deflower eighteen virgins in a single evening! If anything, I’m rather jealous.”
 
While these three were talking, a smaller, younger-looking Discord in the outfit of an Ancient Pegasi general asked them. “And how do any of you know about this?”
 
The three of them looked at him. “What do you mean?” the one in the powdered wig asked.
 
“I mean, how do we know that’s what goes on at that school? Have any of you set hoof in it?”
 
“Well, not exactly Diogenes.” The CEO looking Discord told him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “But I’ve heard it from neighbors next to the school.”
 
“But doesn’t it sound a little too… fantastical? If that were true, how is Epicurus able to afford to do all of that?”
 
“I’ll tell you what, son? How about I send you over there.”

“Me?”
 
“Why not? You go over to the school and try to attend it for about a day or two to see what goes on over there. Who knows? Maybe they’re a bunch of crackpots, or perhaps they really found the key to happiness itself.”
 
“Then why can’t you do it?”
 
“I have millions of coins that need manufacturing.” The CEO father replied. “If I don’t, we’ll be in big trouble. And besides, you’re finishing school so you can afford enough time to go take a visit.”
 
The curtain descended and the Shakespurian narrator walked on stage with a spotlight on him. “It wasn’t just Diogenes’s father that was curious about the school. The whole town wanted to know what goes on inside its walls, but at the same time, they were hesitant as they weren’t sure if this wasn’t some sort of crazed cult. So, on that morning, young Diogenes bravely walked up to its doors.”
 
The curtain rose again, and there on stage was a large looking plain house, surrounded by a vegetable garden on all sides. At the double doors, Diogenes knocked on the door before waiting for a while. For a long moment, nothing happened. He looked at his watch, glanced around behind him before knocking again.
 
“I think everyone’s in the kitchen.” Looking over his head, he spotted Epicurus walking towards him from stage right, carrying a basket. “That, or maybe they haven’t woken up yet. I was out getting breakfast.”
 
“What’s in the basket?”
 
When he was close enough, Epicurus showed him the contents. 
 
Diogenes blinked. “There’s nothing in here except vegetables.”
 
“Nothing?” Epicurus laughed, “I mean look at these! We got some onions, radishes, celery sticks, plenty of carrots, and look at these!” He picked up an elongated root, “Sweet potatoes. Oh, we are in for a treat today.”
 
As he walked past him, Diogenes looked at the audience, puzzled. “Sweet potatoes are a treat?”
 
“What’s your name young stud?” Epicurus asked.
 
“Diogenes, sir, are you-”
 
“Oh, don’t call me sir, I’m not fifty yet. I’m Epicurus. Are you here for the school?”
 
“Well… as a matter of fact, yes. I was curious to know what’s in there.”
 
Epicurus laughed cheerfully. “In that case, don’t just stand there! Come right in! You are in time for breakfast.” While he let the smaller Discord in, the house on the stage began to turn, flipping around until the back showed a courtyard-like setting with arched open-air rooms with other Discords in robes. Now on the inside, Diogenes stopped and turned around, confused. 
 
“Something the matter?” Epicurus asked.
 
“This… Is the School of Happiness…? Right?”
 
“There’s no other place in the world like this paradise.”
 
“Is it?” Diogenes questioned, glancing at the other Discords. “I was expecting a little… more, I suppose. It looks a bit… empty.”
 
Epicurus laughed, “Everything we need is right here! Come, I’ll show you around!”
 
Back in the box seats, Rarity looked over to Discord, “This is the famed School of Happiness? It looks so… bland. Starlight’s village had more panache than this.”
 
“Maybe so,” Discord said, “but what you are looking at is essential to the philosophy of happiness?”
 
Rarity looked up at him, unconvinced. “How?”
 
“We all want to be happy, don’t we?” Epicurus on stage told Diogenes. “I have made it my life’s passion to seriously study and take careful examination into the subject. Here,” he handed the younger Discord a potato, “I’ve observed that despite all the evidence, most of us think that gaining happiness is easy, isn’t it?”
 
“Well naturally.” Diogenes agreed.
 
“Really now?” Epicurus smirked. “If it’s so easy, then enlighten me, how is it done?”
 
“Obviously, you would need a lot of money, a beautiful spouse, and all the comforts that money could buy, isn’t it?”
 
“I thought so too. Which was why that in my youth, I tried to observe the rich and powerful closely. They too believe in all of those things. And did you know what I found?” Diogenes shook his head. “I found that despite holding on the belief that as long as they have this or that object, that they could be at this place or have that drop-dead gorgeous so-and-so in their beds, then everything will be total bliss. And yet, everyone who has these are some of the most miserable and angry prone ponies who ever lived!
 
“But I still think that life should be about what was fun and pleasurable. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good meal, a fine drink, beauty and pleasures of the flesh like any other. For I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. However, it’s how they’re handled is the problem. So, after years of trial and error, I finally cracked it. I finally found a way to be happy – and the best is that it won’t cost you much at all.”
 
“Really?” Diogenes asked, intrigued. “How?”
 
With a smile, Epicurus leaned forward. “You want to be happy? It’s not hard. For all you need is three things. The rest isn’t needed, but to find happiness, you need these things that are as essential as air, food, and water.”
 
“So, what are they?”
 
“Look around, what do you see?”
 
Diogenes did just that. “I see… your followers?”
 
Epicurus laughed, “Oh no! They’re not followers! What do you think we're running here? A cult? No, these are my friends that have agreed to move in with me.”
 
“Okay, but do you have family here as well?”
 
“Not really. But to be happy, this is the first thing you need: have friends around you. They are not like your family because you can freely tell them anything and do all sorts of things that family protocol won’t allow. To be with like-minded fellows to laugh with, to be comforted by and to comfort. The trouble is that most don’t see their friends nearly enough.”
 
“So more than just once or twice a week?”
 
Epicurus shook his head. “It is preferred to be with them as long as possible. Regularity is important. This is why I brought this large home and asked my friends to come to live with me. Each of us has their own rooms, and there are sharing rooms, such as this so that there’s always someone pleasant to converse with. During mealtimes, it’s best to always eat or drink with someone nearby.”

“Why is that?”
 
“Before you eat or drink, always consider who you do so with rather than what you eat or drink. Feeding without a friend is the life of a lion or a wolf. Understand?”
 
“I… think so? But with these friends, is it just… well… having a nice conversation all you need? Like those with… benefits?”
 
There was a chuckle out from the audience. 
 
“I don’t deny that it’s a bonus,” Epicurus answered, “but it’s not always necessary. Love especially can get rather messy, even with the best of couples. There is always jealousy, back talk, betrayals, misunderstandings, cheating, and bitterness. Friendships, meanwhile, are when life is at its sweetest. There is no need to be so possessive. How decent friends can be with one another. You see?”
 
Diogenes nodded. “Alright. What of the other two?”
 
“Ah! Remember how you say that you need a lot of money?” He nodded. “Why?”
 
There was a long moment of blinking. “What do you mean?”
 
“Why do you need money so badly to be happy?”
 
He blinked. “Well… it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
 
“Then explain it to me. Like you would to a child.”
 
“Alright uh… well, money is important because you need it to live. You have to pay someone to live in a decent place. You have to pay for food, water, clothing. You need to pay taxes so that the place you live in would still function. You need to pay for schools, for things that break down, things that need to be built up. Uh… Oh! Travel! You need money to travel with too. You see, there are lots of things you need money for.”
 
“And how do you get this money?”
 
“You work for it.”
 
“How?”
 
“In a job, of course. You have to do things like sorting out paperwork, or fixing the pipes, or cooking food for others.”
 
“And these jobs, if getting money is essential to happiness, do those who have jobs go do these tasks willingly?”
 
“Well… no.”
 
“Ah! Why not?”
 
“I guess…” Diogenes rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose it depends on the work; you see. Sometimes the job is boring. Other times the bosses that they work for are… not good. There are times where the job may not pay enough or maybe they work long, back-breaking hours just to survive.”
 
“Yet, in all of this praise of jobs, there isn’t happiness to be found.”
 
“Wait, that’s not true. I mean… Look at Rarity over there.” He pointed to the unicorn in the opera box. “I know for a fact that she loves her job. She’s her own boss.”
 
“Maybe,” Epicurus nodded, looking up at her. “But do you know why she likes her job? Come, let’s ask her.” Walking towards the audience, he waved at her. “Pardon me, ma’am! Do you have a moment?”
 
“I…” Rarity glanced over at the several thousand other Discords in the theater, looking at her. “What do you want?”
 
“Would you answer a few questions for us?”
 
Trying to look dignified in this awkward situation, she responded that she would.
 
“Great! So, do you have a job?”
 
“I do.”
 
“What do you do?”
 
“I make the finest clothes in Equestria.” She told him with a hint of pride in her voice.
 
“And do you like your job, making clothes?”
 
She nodded. “Most certainly.”
 
“Ah! Well, do you work in a very large group?”
 
“No, I work best when I’m alone. I only work with others if I absolutely have to.”
 
“I see.” Epicurus nodded. “Do you work for yourself or someone else?”
 
“Myself.”
 
Smiling, he added, “One last question: this work you do; do you feel as if you’re contributing something overall in the scheme of things?”
 
“Oh absolutely!”
 
Satisfied, Epicurus turned to Diogenes, “You see? Having to work is never the problem. If anything, sometimes finding meaningful work is the best kind. Where one feels is if they’re improving the world in their own small way. This comes about when they have that freedom, that independence from not so good bosses and other things that tie one down. This is why we live here in a… well… I guess you may say a commune among friends. Of course, some of us still have to work in the gardens, cooking in the kitchen and be sure to clean up as well. But none of us are compelled to do so because we have to otherwise we receive no pay, but because we genuinely want to. It’s why I was in the garden because I find simple joy in gardening.”
 
“Huh…” Diogenes nodded. “So, to be happy, one must have friends, freedom… but what’s the third thing? You said there were three things we needed, didn’t you?”
 
“Quite!” He nodded. “I noticed something rather odd when it comes to the rich. In that they desire to have that latest luxury thing there is out there. From having a beautiful house or a tranquil scene to look out on. But after years of thinking about this rationally, I came to realize something truly remarkable. That it’s not these material things they’re really after, but rather a point in the grand scheme of things. What they really want out of these things, is a feeling of calm. Which is understandable, I suppose, we all want our minds to be pure, free from the normal boredom and unpleasant chaos.”
 
“And how do you think anyone could accomplish this calm if there’s nothing money could do to buy it?”
 
“Here at the school, we have developed a variety of ways from having some time on their own, reflecting on one's problems and anxieties, writing those problems down in essays and stories, reading stories that we can see our problems through the eyes of someone else, or simply meditating. Yet, the important thing to do is to search out the things that concern us, depress us, anger us, even frighten us, to look at these things in the eye and really study them. The more one does so, the less concerned, depressed, angry, or scared one becomes.”
 
Diogenes stood there for a moment. “That’s it?”
 
“That’s it. As far as I see it, all one needs for happiness is food, water, shelter, some warm clothing, friends, freedom, and one’s mind to look into. Anything else may be nice, but they’re not necessary. It doesn’t matter if you’re the poorest creature or the richest, as long as you have friends, freedom, and time to study your own mind, happiness is always guaranteed. But if one were to be without these, happiness is nowhere to be found.”
 
Just as Epicurus turned his back and was heading toward the kitchen area of the commune did Diogenes shake his head and said, “Wait! If that’s really what everyone needs, how come nobody has done that before if it’s that easy?”
 
“Why do you go to a doctor?”
 
“Wha-? What does that have to do with anything?”
 
“In a way, I see happiness like how those saw what makes one healthy in the past. Being healthy is so easy they used to say! After all, your own body should tell you if something is wrong, right? If you have a headache, just ask a friend to drill a hole in your head. Feeling queasy? Fill up a bathtub full of leeches, that’ll make it go away. Feeling discomfort after eating? Then all you need are some crystals with ‘healing properties’ to wave over you to make it go away.”
 
“But… none of those things work.”
 
“Exactly! Just because you’re experiencing discomfort, doesn’t always mean that you know what’s best for your body – much less your mind. It’s why we have doctors and philosophers. Because they took the time to study carefully the body and the mind to look with a critical eye at what’s wrong. Luckily for you, that is why I’m here! So, are you going to talk all day, or are you going to have breakfast with us?”
 
As Diogenes eventually followed Epicurus, the Shakespurian narrator walked on stage while the lights dimmed. “From that day onward, young Diogenes became a frequent student to the school, learning about the simple pleasures of life. He knew that what his new teacher taught was right, but looking outside of the walls of the school, he saw so many that were lost and unhappy. He tried to figure out, what exactly is there to be done? So, one night, Epicurus asked him to walk with him.”
 
When the lights came back on, they were in the town at night. Here and there, other Discords walked about, minding their own business, ignoring the two actors who walked on stage. 
 
“And why would you be concerned?” Epicurus asked. 
 
“Because by now, I think that you are onto something. Isn’t there some way to let everyone else know about it?”
 
“Sadly, I admit that the school only works the way it does because it’s so small. And if there were a few I could talk to personally, it’d be some help. But whole populations?”
 
“Yes. Do you think there could be some way to spread your wisdom to so many at once?”
 
He thought for a moment, humming to himself while walking through the brightly lit town. Then, he stopped and noticed the advertisement. “Huh… Now that is interesting.”
 
“What?”
 
“Look at that sigh there,” he pointed up. “‘Experience Freedom with Airpeak Cruises.’” Then at another sigh, “‘Have a Pint with Friends with Apple Cider.’” Then to another, “‘Silky Towels are Perfect for Peace of Mind.’” He then looked at Diogenes. “Are you seeing a pattern?”
 
After a moment where spotlights lit up on those three advertisements, Diogenes’s eyes widened. “It’s the same philosophy as yours!”
 
“In order to sell a product.” He nodded. “Now that is clever. Those who put up these signs seem to already know what we need but exploit it to sell a product. To anyone that isn’t aware of what they need, they confuse it with what they think they could buy. Perhaps they will go on a cruise, but it was freedom they seek. That they would buy crates of cider, but it was friendship they wanted. And the one who would buy all those towels would end up disappointed because it was peace of mind they were really after. Oh!” Epicurus turned to him. “That is the answer!”
 
“What is?”
 
“If you wanted to let the public know what happiness is, that is your answer. Put it on a wall, a billboard even. Maybe give them reminders of what they were seeking in the first place.”
 
As the lights dimmed again, the narrator hovered over the stage. “And so it was, that Diogenes was so committed to educating the public, that he sold his possessions, his home, even the clothes from his back to make a monument to Happiness itself. In the old market place of Árma, there is a wall that still stands in which he put everything that his teacher taught into a single image.”
 
With the lights up, there was a mosaic of the town of Árma that depicted the richly decorated homes, the fine clothing of its citizens, the lines of fine food, the decadent luxury that could easily rival Canterlot. And underneath it, all were the words: “YOU WILL NEVER FIND THE FRIENDS, FREEDOM, AND PEACE OF MIND IN THE MARKETPLACE.”
 
The red curtain fell at the end of the play. The audience applauded the players who took a bow. In the opera box, Discord was applauding. 
 
“It had a corny ending, but effective.” He remarked, turning to Rarity. “So, what do you think?”
 
She didn’t reply. For a while, even after the other Discord’s applause had died down and started to leave, she was in thought. “All this time I had the key to happiness at my hooftips. I don’t know if I should feel foolish or depressed over that fact.”
 
“If that improvised play should teach you anything, it’s that while it’s hard to figure for ourselves what makes us happy, doing so shouldn’t be.”
 
“But, does this mean that I have to give up everything to do what that Epicurus had done?”
 
“Now that’s crazy, and coming from me, that says a lot.”
 
“What are you talking about?”
 
“Rarity, darling, you have plenty of friends that you see on almost a daily basis; your own business to be more or less independent; you’re perfectly capable of finding calm in your own mind. If you want to be happy, all you need to do is see that you have the tools all along. You just need to know how to use them.”
 



 
Once school had been concluded, Rarity was thinking back to what Discord had said. In her mind, she knew that he was right. The only reason why she thought happiness was hard to obtain was that she thought it was hard. Money never stood in the way, nor was it needed to just have a good time. 
 
Eventually, she went towards the Teacher’s lounge where her friends were at. Talking about the day they had and were looking forward to doing something fun.
 
“There you are, Rarity,” Twilight greeted her, “I think it’s your turn.”
 
She blinked. “For what?”
 
“To choose what we’ll be doing tonight. Rainbow went yesterday with that bowling alley, so now it’s your turn. So, what will it be? Five-star dinner? A Night at the Opera?”
 
Rarity smiled. “If you all don’t mind, I wouldn’t mind sitting down at the Hayburger.”
 
All of her friends looked at her as if she had shredded her skin to reveal her disguise as a nine-foot purple people eater. “You what?” Fluttershy asked.
 
“It wasn’t until today that I’ve come to realize something, that it’s never the activity that makes the evening, but having those friends to share it with. Be it expensive or common, as long as I have all of you around, I can safely say that I am happy.”