//------------------------------// // Keep Calm And Flutter On // Story: Geoverse Part Six: A Season Of Adventure // by GeodesicDragon //------------------------------// CHAPTER ELEVEN Keep Calm And Flutter On In a field outside of Ponyville, I sat on the grass and watched as Twilight paced around. Princess Celestia had asked to meet us there, along with the other Elements of Harmony and Spike. Ace was with me as well but John, Applejack and Fluttershy were noticeably absent from the proceedings. "It's not like Princess Celestia to be late..." Twilight muttered, "... I wonder what's keeping her?" "I hope she gets here soon," Pinkie chirped, "because I got my hooves shined for this very occasion!" She held up a forehoof, nearly blinding everyone with the level of sunlight being reflected from it. She giggled as she watched us shield our eyes from the angry glare before mercifully putting her hoof back down on the ground. "On another note," Twilight said, "where are Fluttershy, John and Applejack? They were supposed to be here as well." "There is an animal problem at the farm," Rarity explained, "and Fluttershy has gone to assist John and Applejack. The three of them should be along momentarily." Twilight nodded. "You know," I piped up, "her lateness could be attributed to a visitor. I know she's been very busy with them lately, as Worthy Cause has told me he's not seen Celestia for a while." "A visitor, hmm?" Rarity said, "That sounds plausible. But I wonder who it could be? No doubt it is somepony important." Before any of us could join Rarity in her speculation, Spike gasped. "Maybe," he stuttered, "m-maybe the visitor has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail!" "Yeah right." Twilight scoffed, "You do realise that you just described Discord, right?" "Now why in the wide-wide world of Equestria," Rarity chimed, "would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?" Spike pointed at something in the distance. "M-m-maybe you should ask...HER!" he stammered. We all turned round to see Princess Celestia approaching in a pegasi-drawn carriage. Another carriage flying alongside had a statue in the back. The statue was unlike anything I had ever seen before, with a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail just like Spike had said. I realised that this was Discord. The carriages landed and Princess Celestia stepped out and approached us, though Twilight met her half-way. "Princess Celestia," she said, "might I be so bold as to ask you... WHY THE HECK HAVE YOU BROUGHT DISCORD HERE?!" She flinched at her sudden outburst and giggled sheepishly while Celestia simply smiled. "I'm with Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, "though I think she could have asked you that in a calmer manner." Rarity opened her mouth to speak, only to close it when Princess Celestia raised a hoof into the air. "I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here," she said, "he created serious havoc." "If by 'serious havoc'," Dash muttered, "you mean 'turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world', then yeah. It was serious." "Not only that," Rarity added, "he tricked us all into being the opposite of our true selves!" "And he made yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight!" Pinkie Pie squealed, "NOT A SINGLE DOLLOP!" Celestia looked back at the statue, its face contorted into a look of either shock or pain. Though it was probably both. "I have a use for Discord's magic," she said, "but only if it can be harnessed to do good instead of evil. That is why I am entrusting his rehabilitation to you and your friends, my dear student." She presented the box with the Elements of Harmony inside and smiled warmly, though Twilight's sceptical look remained fixed. "I guess we could try..." she said hesitantly, "... and if he does get up to his old tricks, we can simply reseal him in stone again." "Oh that reminds me," Celestia said, "the Elements have been enchanted so that they are immune to Discord's tampering. I felt that this was necessary, after what happened the last time." Twilight and the rest of the girls shuddered. Celestia looked around the field for a moment before she raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping that Fluttershy would know how best to get started with Discord's rehabilitation," she said, "but she doesn't appear to be here, and neither is Applejack. Whatever could they be doing?" *** John stood ankle deep in water as Applejack glared angrily at a beaver sitting on a dam with a smug expression on its face. The damn had caused a stream to back up, drenching the orchard in a giant pool of water. It finished chattering angrily to Fluttershy, who then smiled and turned to Applejack. "He says he will take down the dam," she translated, "but only once you apologise for calling him a 'nuisance'." She turned to John. "And he wants you to apologise for trying to kick him." "Apologise?!" Applejack snapped, "Why, he's lucky I didn't call him a varmint instead!" "And," John added, "he's also lucky that I don't have feet like Bob!" The beaver responded with more angry chattering. "Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth!" Fluttershy gasped, "Such language!" Applejack and John exchanged a contemptuous look with each other before they both groaned. "All right," John said, "I'm sorry I tried to kick you." "An Ah'm sorry I called ya a nuisance." Applejack added, "Now if'n ya would be so kind as ta remove the dam, we can get to this meetin' with Twilight we're supposed ta be at." The beaver responded by sticking out its tongue and blowing a raspberry at them. John raised an arm, but Fluttershy shook her head furiously. John muttered to himself as he elected to fold his arms and stare daggers at the beaver. The beaver seemed unphased by John's staring and walked along the dam. It stopped at a small twig sticking out of the structure and gave it a gentle tug. The stick came out and the entire dam fell apart, releasing torrents of water back into the stream. "Thank ya kindly Fluttershy," Applejack said with a tip of her hat, "Ah don't know what I woulda done without you." Fluttershy smiled politely as Rainbow Dash suddenly swooped down from the sky above. She landed next to her friends and gave them all a disapproving stare. "You're supposed to be with Twilight!" she scolded, "Why are you all just standing here doing nothing? Come on you slackers, we've gotta go! Something big is happening, and the Elements of Harmony are needed!" She took off in the direction she came from, closely followed by her friends, each of whom was pondering the nature of her words. *** "Oh, I don't think I'm ready for this your Highness." Fluttershy squeaked, "B-but I can certainly try to reform Discord." "I have every faith in you Fluttershy." Celestia replied, "Because I know that if anypony can reform the Lord of Chaos, it's you." Fluttershy squeaked and blushed. "Okay Princess," she said, "if you think I can do it, then I will." Celestia smiled and returned to her carriage. "Good luck girls," she said, "and remember that should Discord refuse to co-operate, or if he causes trouble like he did the last time, then you have my permission to reseal him in stone. But I have faith that it won't come to that." With those words she and her escort took off for Canterlot, while Twilight and the girls formed a circle around the statue. Ace, John and I stood back and watched. "Okay girls," Twilight said, "let's do this." The others nodded and soon the Elements they wore lit up. The guys and I shielded our eyes from a bright flash of light. We heard a slight humming noise, and then a loud crack... ... followed by bellowing laughter. We uncovered our eyes to see that the statue was no more, and Discord was standing in the middle of the Elements. "Oh it feels so good to be out of that infernal prison!" he said happily, "Thank you for finally releasing me." A nearby beaver caught his attention and he grinned. With just a snap of his fingers, the beaver had developed a six-pack and arms as thick as the trees it was bringing down earlier. "Oh sweet!" John said as he ran over to it, "This beaver is buff!" Without warning, the beaver grabbed his leg and threw him across the field, sending him crashing into Ace. "Ow!" Ace groaned, "Dammit John, you should know better than to approach chaotically enhanced animals!" "Sorry Ace," John replied, "I just got caught up in the moment." Their conversation attracted the attention of Discord, who approached them with a small grin on his face. "Humans?" he said, "My, my. It has been a while since I last saw your kind in Equestria. Tell me, is your species still the grievously savage child-race I remember it as?" Ace and John shrugged. "We're not from Equestria," Ace replied as he and John stood up, "we're actually from another universe." "I see," Discord said, "how interesting. Well Ace and John, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." "Uhh, likewise I guess." John replied as he nervously shook Discord's outstretched claw. "You guys all right?" I asked, causing Discord to turn around. His eyes locked on with mine and his grin increased in width. It made me nervous, and intensified when he approached me and laid a hand around my shoulders. "And you must be Geo." he said cheerfully, "I must say that I have been wanting to meet you for a long time now." "You have?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly. The fact that Discord somehow knew of my existence was rather off-putting. He nodded feverishly and pointed at Twilight. "It's thanks to your other half there that I know of you." he explained, "You see, when you ended up back in your own world, she thought you were dead. So she found a spell which allowed her to talk to spirits, in the hope that she would get closure. She got me instead, and I took great delight in telling her where you were." I looked at Twilight for confirmation on what Discord was saying and she nodded. I smiled, both thankful for, and amazed at, what she had gone through while I was away. Discord walked away from me and began circling Fluttershy, who looked at him nervously. "You may not have been aware of this," he said, "but during my imprisonment I could still hear all that was going on around me. So needless to say, I find the very idea that I can be 'reformed'" — he made air quotes with his fingers — "laughable." *** Sitting in a café in Ponyville, a unicorn mare felt a shiver run through her cerulean coat and up her spine. Her sun yellow mane quivered with her. "Are you all right Summer Breeze?" the waiter asked. "Uh yeah," Summer Breeze replied, "I just got this really weird feeling that I was right about something..." The waiter shrugged and walked away, leaving the mare to her lunch as she shook off the feelings which clouded her. *** Discord picked up Fluttershy and held her up to his face. "Celestia seriously thinks that you can reform me?" he spat, "Then she is more deluded than I thought." Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "You'd best watch your step buster," she said sternly, "or I'll give you the Stare!" "The Stare?" Discord sounded shocked, "Oh no, please, not that! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs!" He burst out laughing while Fluttershy continued starting at him. "Oh no! No no no, stop! No, no!" he made a series of choking noises, "I can't! Stop! I can't take it any more! I'll do whatever you say! Because..." He laughed even harder as he held Fluttershy closer, giving her a noogie before putting her on the ground. "You are hilarious!" he chuckled, "Did you really think that I would be affected by that? Do I look a woodland creature to you?" Fluttershy was stunned and mumbled to herself about the whole thing being a bad idea. Seeing this, Twilight stomped a hoof into the ground and snorted. "Listen up Discord," she snarled, "you have two choices here. Either behave, or go back to being a statue. Your call." "Fine," Discord pouted, "you win. I'll be on my best behaviour." With another snap of his fingers the squirrels and beavers were no longer muscular. John went to grab the beaver who had thrown him across the field, but I managed to stop him and we stood around and watched Discord and the Elements continue their conversation. "I'm guessing I will be confined to living with Fluttershy while you waste your time trying to reform me?" he asked. Fluttershy nodded, a small smile clearly present on her face. Discord groaned and pointed towards Ponyville. "Okay," he muttered, "lead the way." *** Discord lounged on a sofa while Fluttershy ran around tidying up. Her rabbit Angel was sitting on the floor near Discord, and had a very angry expression on his little face. It was apparent that the Lord of Chaos had taken the rabbit's favourite seat. The rest of the Elements were also eyeing Discord warily, each of them looking ready to pounce on him if even the slightest thing went wrong. "I'm sorry about the mess," Fluttershy whined, "but I'll do my best to keep you comfortable. Make yourself at home in the meantime." "Don't worry about it, dear Fluttershy." Discord replied, "Mess is a form of chaos, after all." He stretched himself out on the couch, breaking a nearby lamp in the process. Fluttershy gasped. "Oopsie." Discord chuckled. He snapped his fingers and fixed the lamp. But instead of what it looked like before, it now looked like him. It was holding the lightbulb in one hand and was even wearing the lampshade as a makeshift skirt. "It's a Discord original," he said proudly, "and as such is infinitely better than what it was before." "Remember Discord," Twilight said, "you had better watch yourself, or it's back to an eternity in stone." "I'm shocked Twilight, I really am." Discord replied, "Look at me. Do you really think I can do any harm like this?" We looked at him and saw that he had shrunk himself down to the size of a rabbit. Angel grinned and hopped up on the couch next to him. Suddenly, Discord was back to his normal size — and Angel was now an indentation in the wall. I suppressed a laugh at seeing the rabbit suffering. I like animals, but Angel is the exception. In my opinion he's just a conniving little bastard who doesn't deserve the love and attention that Fluttershy lavishes upon him. "Until we see otherwise," Twilight snapped, "we're not believing a word you say. Come on everyone, let's leave Fluttershy to it." The girls went to leave, but stopped when they saw that Ace, John and I weren't following them. "Uhh, guys?" Twilight asked, "What are you doing?" "I don't know about Ace or John," I replied, "but I'm staying here to help Fluttershy." "Me too." Ace and John said together. The girls gasped, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie's being the loudest. "What?" Applejack snapped, "How can y'all believe that Discord can be reformed? Ya don't know him like we do!" "I believe in second chances." John replied, "Geo, Ace and I have all experienced them first-hand, so if there is a chance that a villain like Discord—" "Villain?" Discord interrupted, "I wouldn't call myself a villain. Chaos is a part of life, and I provide chaos. So I would be inclined to refer to myself as a public servant." John rolled his eyes and continued speaking. "If there is a chance that a villain like Discord can be reformed, then who am I to say otherwise? You all gave me a second chance when you found out I'd been lying to you all." "I agree with John." Ace added, "You all know what kind of life I had before I came to Equestria. I was brought up by gangsters. So when I came here I got a second chance to enjoy a life of peace... but then the Diamond Dogs had to ruin it. But I still got a second chance nonetheless." "And I nearly died." I finished, "If that's not a second chance, then I don't know what it is." Our respective wives narrowed their eyes at us. "Fine," Applejack muttered, "but don't come runnin' ta us when he turns y'all into cotton candy or somethin'." "As fun as that sound," Discord said, "I've found to my dismay that humans are immune to my powers. Speaking from experience, they don't need me to make their lives chaotic... as they are more than capable of doing it themselves." Applejack snorted and left the house, followed by the others. Fluttershy saw them to the door. "Please tell me you have a plan Fluttershy," Twilight said desperately, "and that you know what you're doing." Fluttershy nodded. "I believe that the key to reforming Discord is to become his friend." she replied, "So that's what I'm going to do." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Okay," she said, "I trust your judgement. But we'll keep our Elements on just in case they are needed." Fluttershy nodded and waved goodbye to her friends. They left, our wives shooting us another glare, and Fluttershy closed the door. *** "You do realise," Rainbow Dash said, "that we'll need a backup plan for if, and when, Fluttershy's idea falls on its flank? No disrespect to her, but I seriously doubt that anypony can befriend Discord." Twilight nodded. "I think I've got just the thing." she replied, "Let's go the library, because we've got some reading to do." The five of them set off towards the library, a steely resolved behind each of their eyes. *** Fluttershy came back into the house to see that Discord had a large bowl and a fork, and was eating pieces of paper. She cocked her head at him nervously. "Umm, why are you eating paper?" she asked. "Because why not, my dear Fluttershy?" Discord replied. "Oh, okay." Fluttershy replied before turning to the guys and I and adding, "Umm, I need to go into town for a while. Will you three be okay with Discord?" We all nodded. "Since we're apparently immune to his powers," I replied, "I think we'll be all right. You go and do what you need to do." Fluttershy thanked us and picked up her saddlebags before leaving the house, closing the door with a soft click. Discord finished eating the rest of the paper and let out a loud belch. He got rid of the bowl and fork and then turned to us with a large toothy grin. "You may be immune to my magic..." he said, "... but I think you'll find that your surroundings are not." Our confident smiles were replaced with shock as Discord cackled and snapped his fingers. *** "The guys are acting really weird if you ask me." Rainbow Dash said as she flicked through another book, "I can't believe they actually trust Discord!" "I've seen weirder." Twilight replied. "In fact, just the other day Geo told me that he saw Rainbow Dash sprawled out on the ground in front of the library. He ran out to see if she was okay when he heard a gasp from the branches. He looked up — and he swore that he saw Rarity and I looking back down at him! He asked them what they were doing up there and apparently I screamed 'Oh my God, I sent us to another dimension!', before I grabbed Rarity and the unconscious Rainbow Dash and vanished. Then Geo said that the door opened, and there I was." "I don't remember any of that." Rainbow Dash muttered, "What happened after you opened the door?" "Geo passed out due to shock." Twilight said, "But he's adamant that it happened, even though I myself have no memory of it." "Me neither darling," Rarity replied, "after all, why would I be in a tree? It would really mess up my mane." The five of them giggled as they continued searching through the books. Twilight let out a groan. "I don't believe it!" she yelled, "Another book which mentions the reform spell has had all references to it torn out!" "It has to be Discord," Applejack said, "it just has ta be." "Celestia only knows what he's doing back at Fluttershy's house." Twilight shuddered, "I'm going back there. Spike, you come too and get ready to take a letter!" A loud moan of displeasure was her only reply. *** "Oh my," Fluttershy said, "I certainly don't recall my house being all the way up there!" She looked up to where her house was above the ground, rotating slowly. Fluttershy spread her wings and flew towards it, only to stop when she heard Discord's exasperated sigh. "Your species certainly is tenacious, I'll give you that." he said, "But I really would like the place to myself, so if you don't mind..." The house stopped rotating and began shaking from side to side. Doors and windows opened, and a human fell screaming out of each one, landing on the ground with a loud thump. The house resumed its rotation as Discord poked his head out of the window. "Thanks for the entertainment," he said, "but I— oh Fluttershy, you're back! Do you like what I've done with the place?" Fluttershy nodded meekly. "You can't seriously be okay with this!" I shouted. "I did say he could make himself at home." Fluttershy replied sternly, "And if this makes him comfortable, then it's okay." I groaned, partly due to what Fluttershy had said but mostly due to the intense pain I was feeling in my legs. "We're going to the hospital." I said, "Will you be all right on your own with this guy?" Fluttershy nodded while the guys and I trudged painfully into Ponyville. As we left, Discord appeared next to her, causing her to to squeak in fright. We left them to it and hobbled as quickly as we could towards the hospital. "Oh Discord?" Ace said as he stopped limping, "I'd appreciate it if you came by my lab later on. I've got something to show you which I think you'll appreciate." Discord nodded, and the three of us continued walking. *** Discord watched the three humans leave with a large smile on his face while Fluttershy had a concerned expression on hers. "Now that those three are out of the picture," he said, "you and I can talk properly." "Um, okay." Fluttershy replied. "I admire your boundless kindness Fluttershy," Discord said, "I really do. It's just a shame your friends are being so nasty towards me. I really am trying, you know? It's not easy trying to give up chaos. It is my life, after all." Fluttershy nodded sympathetically just as Twilight arrived with a look of pure murder in her eyes. "I just saw my husband, Ace and John limping into town!" she snarled, "Geo's leg is clearly broken, Discord. What did you do?!" Discord held his arms up in mock surrender. "It's not my fault they fell foul of gravity." he said, "I gave them plenty of chances to leave Fluttershy's house, but they refused." Twilight looked up at Fluttershy's house and listened to the many sounds coming from within, smashing crockery and the cries of a terrified rabbit the most prevalent among them. Fluttershy, hearing Angel's pleas, gasped and flew up into the house, emerging a few moments later with her pet on her back. She set him down on the ground and he wobbled on his feet before falling onto his back with his paws sticking up. Twilight rolled her eyes. "I was just at the library," she said, "and all of the books which contain details of a reforming spell have had the pages about said spell torn out. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Discord shook his head. "Really?" Fluttershy asked, "And what about that paper you were eating earlier?" "He was doing WHAT?!" Twilight screeched, "... oh great, now I know what happened to those pages!" Discord chuckled in response. "We're not going to need a reforming spell Twilight," Fluttershy said calmly, "because I think I'm making progress. And to prove it, I'm inviting you and the girls – and the guys provided they're out of the hospital – for a dinner party here tonight." Twilight made a neutral noise in her throat. "Come on Twilight," Fluttershy pleaded, "just give it a chance. I promise you it will be fine." "Fiiiiiiiiiiine." Twilight groaned, "But we're still keeping the Elements at hoof, just in case." "Of course," Fluttershy nodded, "but we won't need them." "We'll see about that." Twilight muttered as she left. *** Discord approached Ace's lab with a confident grin on his face. After being directed inside by one of Ace's bots, Discord found himself in a small empty room. He looked around and tutted before he was suddenly trapped in a shield which rendered him unable to move. Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers to remove the shield, only for nothing to happen. "You're wasting your time," a voice said, "because that's a special anti-magic shield I developed." "Doctor," Discord sighed, "if you're going to lecture me, at least do it where I can see you." Ace stepped into Discord's field of vision with a contemptuous sneer on his face. "I have to admit," he said, "that I may have been lying when I said I was on your side. Because actually Discord, I never trusted you. Trusting you to reform yourself is like putting your hand in a hungry lion's mouth and trusting him not to bite it. Once a being of evil, always a being of evil, I say. I had this trap prepared just in case I suspected things were getting out of hand." He let out a long, drawn-out sigh before continuing. "Twilight might not make plans B, C, D, E, etcetera, until it's too late," he muttered, "but I always have backup plans ready. Quite frankly, I don't think Fluttershy knows what she's doing. You're a cruel and heartless monster, Discord. Right now, I'm the biggest threat to Equestria, and I'd prefer to keep it that way." Ace continued ranting, unaware of the fact the that Pinkie and the others had arrived as well. They stood in silent shock as they listened to him talk. Discord, however, had noticed their arrival. He folded his arms and concealed a grin as Ace continued his speech. "I will not let you destroy everything I've worked so hard to protect, and I will not let you ruin my plans! When Twilight and the others find us, you're going back into the statue. Of course, if I had any say in the matter, I would come up with a fate far more cruel." Discord laughed, giving Ace a round of applause, each clap sounding like a different cartoon sound effect. "Oh, my dear delightfully deceitful doctor, well done. You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Discord said sarcastically, "But what are you going to tell your friends? After all, you lured me here with the promise of just talking, and decided to trap me in an anti-magic force field? They won't send me back to stone simply because you don't trust me." "Too true, Discord." Ace replied with a smirk, "However, it's simple enough to say that you attacked me, and I had no choice but to defend myself. And since it's gonna boil down to a 'he said, she said' argument, who are they gonna trust more? The villain they encased in stone? Or the villain that has long been their friend, and treated them as friends should?" The fact he had referred to himself as a villain came as no surprise to the girls, as they had heard him use the phrase several times before. However, the fact Ace was prepared to frame Discord simply because he didn't like him was enough for them to speak up. "As much as we'd like to see Discord trapped back in his statue," Twilight said angrily, "we can't do it without a legitimate reason, Ace. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to let Discord go." Ace sighed in defeat before looking over to Discord, glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. He marched over to the shield, and pointed at Discord before issuing his parting statement. "Know this, Discord." he snarled, "These ponies care enough about you to issue you a second chance, but if it were up to me you would have been executed long ago. And trust me when I say I would have found a way to kill you." He raised his PDA and tapped a few buttons on it. The shield immediately lost power, setting Discord free. "I'm releasing you now only because I care about them." he said, "But if anything happens to them, you will have to answer to me." With those words he left the room and entered his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Discord simply grinned and vanished. "That was..." Twilight began. "... really mean!" Pinkie interrupted, "How could he act like this? You don't do mean things to anypony simply because you don't like them! You don't do mean things to anypony ever! Ooh, I'm going to have words with him about this!" She went towards the bedroom door, but Twilight stopped her. "Later, Pinkie." she said softly, "We need to find Discord." "He'll probably be at Fluttershy's," Rarity replied, "preparing for this party later. We should check there." "All right," Twilight replied, "then let's go." The six of them left the lab, Pinkie casting an angry glare back towards the locked bedroom door. *** I arrived with Twilight and the others, minus Ace, at Fluttershy's house later that evening, where it was back where it belonged. My leg had been healed up by Doctor Haywick, who didn't seem too happy about the fact that Discord was loose again. I was beginning to share his apprehensions, but I still had a point to prove to Twilight about second chances. The door to the cottage swung open to reveal Discord wearing a tuxedo. He bowed to us as we approached. "Good evening everypony," he said, "we're so glad you could join us this fine evening. Please, come in." We walked inside and gasped. The inside of the house looked nothing like it did earlier. Someone – probably Discord – had decorated the place with a large dinner table, cushions and even a chandelier, which hung awkwardly from the ceiling, coming close to touching the table. The table itself was laid out with many foods and fine silverware. We each took a seat and looked at Fluttershy, who was sitting at the head of the table. She smiled and spoke. "I'm so glad you're all here," she said, "because I think you'll like what you're going to see. I really think that I'm beginning to get through to him." We all looked at Discord, who bowed again. "Thank you for your kind words Fluttershy," he said, "but your food will be going cold. Please, dig in and enjoy!" "Holy crap," John muttered, "is that a ham?!" "A fake one, yes." Fluttershy replied, "But I'm sure it will taste just as good as the real thing." "Who cares if it's fake?!" John yelled, "It's still meat! Glorious, glorious meat!" "Wait a minute," Applejack said, "didn't ya also say that the last time ya took yer pants off?" John chuckled. "Maybe I did," he replied, "but who cares? MEAT!" He took up the carving knife and cut a piece of the ham off for himself. Setting it onto his plate, he reached out for the gravy boat — which suddenly sprouted a tongue and sprayed him with its contents, covering him in a thick brown paste. "Ack!" he spluttered, "What the hell?" The gravy boat then began hopping around the table, spraying everyone with gravy. Pinkie Pie let out a small squeak of glee, even after she got some in her mane. She reached out with a forehoof and began patting it. "Oh, you're such a cute little gravy boat!" she cooed, "Yes you are, yes you are!" "It's got the personality of a puppy!" I said as I wiped gravy out of hair and off my face. The gravy boat then sprayed Rainbow Dash, who growled and took a swipe at it. It let out a small squeak and dove for cover behind the soup dish. As Dash approached, the soup dish spat out its own contents at her, which only served to infuriate the pegasus further. "Oh come ON!" she yelled, "Discord hasn't changed at all! This is clearly his way of messing with us! Once a mischief maker, always a mischief maker!" "I agree with Rainbow Dash," Rarity said as she tried to avoid another incoming stream of soup, "this is all too much." The rest of us nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Fluttershy stomped a hoof into the table. For once, she didn't apologise for her sudden angry outburst, choosing instead to glare at us. "I am so disappointed in all of you right now," she scolded, "Discord is trying his best, and you're not even giving him a chance to redeem himself. What would you think is worse – making gravy boats come to life, or turning Ponyville upside-down again?" Before we could reply, the door flew open and Angel entered. He leapt up on the table and began miming using an apple and a glass of water. Almost immediately the girls realised that Sweet Apple Acres had been flooded again. And just as fast, John and Applejack had rushed out of the house and were running back to the farm. The rest of us soon followed behind. *** By the time we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, John was waist-deep in water helping the rest of the Apple family, who were floating in wooden barrels, to salvage as much of the crop as they could. In the distance we could see some more muscular beavers. Needless to say, it didn't take long for us to work out what had happened. Fluttershy attempted to talk to the beavers, but they simply ignored her and continued building. Rainbow Dash approached her and flared her wings angrily. "You do know," she snarled, "that Discord is behind all of this, don't you Shy?" "Well of course I do!" Fluttershy snapped back, "Do you all think I'm a silly, gullible fool? " "Only in the sense of being silly and gullible..." Rarity said. "Um, well..." Pinkie said hesitantly. "Uh... uh, no, not exactly..." Applejack mumbled. "My aim," Fluttershy said with a sigh, "was to befriend Discord in any way I could, so that in time he could grow to trust me, as well as listen to what I have to say. I guess now would be a good time to put that theory to the test." She walked over to Discord, who was watching events with glee. He glanced at Fluttershy walking towards him with a stern look on her face. He stifled a laugh and turned to face her. "Okay Discord," she said, "you've had your fun. Now change those beavers back and fix this mess. Do it for our friendship." "All right Fluttershy," Discord replied, "I will fix what I've done here, on one condition. For the sake of our friendship, you are to never use your Element of Harmony against me. If you agree to this, then I will undo my magic." The rest of the girls immediately voiced their concern and anger at Discord's request, pleading with Fluttershy not to agree. To their considerable dismay, she removed her necklace and placed it on the ground before nodding. "I accept." she said quietly. "That's wonderful news!" Discord said gleefully, "Do you know what this means?" "What?" Fluttershy asked. Discord leaned down next to her. "It means," he whispered, "that I've won." Fluttershy's eyes widened as Discord straightened himself up and snapped his fingers, blanketing the farm in a thick layer of snow and turning the water to ice. "Fucking hell," John yelled, "I'm stuck!" Fluttershy's eyes narrowed even further and she began scowling. Discord approached her with a set of ice skates. She took them in her mouth as Discord flashed her a cheeky smile. She timidly stepped onto the frozen lake as Discord skated past, doing a series of spins and pirouettes. He skated past a table at which were seated three copies of himself, who each gave him a score of ten. All the while, he was chuckling to himself. "Come Fluttershy," he called out, "come and join me! After all, this is what friends do, right? You don't want to be with them, do you? After all, they all doubted you. They didn't believe in you, and thought that you'd fail from the start. Though I guess they were half right. You have a friend, and yet you've failed to stop me." He chuckled again as Fluttershy looked back towards us. Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she spat the skates out. They slid across the ice, coming to a stop near Discord's feet. "I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!" she shouted, "If you were a true friend you would listen to me!" Discord merely shrugged and continued skating. "Who cares?" he said disdainfully, "I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm Discord! The master of chaos! You think you can boss Discord around? You think I'll change all this back, simply because you say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose the one and only friend I've ever had?" He suddenly paused. "Huh..." he muttered, "Oh, well played, Fluttershy. Well played." He looked over at the abandoned skates and sighed. "What is this?" he muttered, "I actually value her friendship?" He hung his head dejectedly, a single tear making its way down his cheek and onto the ground. He suddenly snapped his fingers, blinding us all in a flash of light. When it cleared we saw that the farm – and the beavers – had been restored to normal, although John was clearly shivering. "I think I'm ready to see Celestia again." Discord said. And for the first time ever, we all smiled at something Discord had said, while Fluttershy hugged his leg. *** Discord approached Celestia, who was watching him with a small grin on her face, and bowed before her. "Princess, I am ready to use my powers for good." he said before adding under his breath, "Most of the time." Celestia nodded and approached Fluttershy, who bowed. "Well done Fluttershy," Celestia said gently, "I knew you could do it. However, I think I will leave the Elements of Harmony with you, just in case." "You were right about Fluttershy all along Princess." Twilight said, "She was the one who found a way to reform Discord. Treating him as a friend made him realise how important friendship was to him. And once he had it, he didn't want to lose it." Fluttershy nudged Discord, who rolled his eyes. "Go on," she said encouragingly, "say it..." Discord groaned. "All right." he muttered. He looked around for a moment. "Friendship is magic." he said quickly "See?" Fluttershy said proudly, "He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him. " The rest of us exchanged wary looks. Eventually, Discord and Celestia got into her carriage and departed for Canterlot. Twilight approached me nervously. "I'm sorry I doubted you," she said quietly, "I should have had more faith in Fluttershy, like you did." "It's fine," I replied, "because I remember acting the same way when you gave Trixie a second chance." She smiled. "So I guess we're even." she said cheekily. I ruffled her mane and chuckled. "Yeah," I said quietly, "I guess we are." The two of us then walked back to the library side-by-side, the events of the day long since forgotten. *** The door to Ace's lab opened with a resounding whirr. Pinkie stormed out, a bag and her foal both perched on her back. "I don't know what's worse," she yelled, "you trying to frame someone for no other reason than you don't like 'em, or you lying to me about supporting Discord's reform!" "But, Pinks—" Ace began, only to be cut off. "Don't you try to 'Pinks' me, Ace!" she snarled, "I've made up my mind! I'm taking Chocolate and going back to the bakery!" "Pinkie, wait!" Ace said pleadingly, "Okay, yes. I lied to you about supporting Discord. I'm sorry, but I didn't think that you'd be that upset over it." "You just don't get it, do you?" Pinkie replied, "It's upsetting enough that you lied to your own wife's face in front of all of our friends, but you did it as if it were no fur off your coat!" "Don't you mean 'no skin off my nose'?" Ace queried. "Quit digressing!" Pinkie bellowed, "The fact that you did it so easily in front of everyone is disturbing enough but not even AJ could tell you were lying, and she's a living lie detector! If you've lied about this, then you could've lied about so many other things! I don't know if I can trust you any more!" "Pinkie, please listen to me." Ace said, "I came after you for two reasons: you and our daughter. I love you both, and I don't want either of you to leave." "Is that a fact?" Pinkie snapped, "Because I'm starting to think you actually enjoyed what you did at Manglanosa's camp." "You had to bring that up, huh?" Ace muttered, "Fine, leave." "Gladly!" Pinkie screeched, "And I hope I never see you again!" She stormed off towards town as Ace watched. As she disappeared over the hill, he let out a sigh and turned to the bot standing near the door. "I need to think." he said, "I don't want to be disturbed." "Understood, master." the bot replied. Ace went into his lab and closed the door, causing another loud whirr and click to echo through the still air.