“Discord. It's a strange name.”
“But it matches my appearance, don't you think?”
I have to agree with that. “Yes, it does.”
“Would you like to hear my story?”
“Yes, please.”
“You know, I was once the bad guy.” He sits on an old fallen tree trunk. “I did everything I wanted, and it didn't matter who I hurt. I made everypony's life miserable. It was fun.”
I sit on the grass in front of him.
He sighs. “But of course, whenever there is a villain, there will be ponies who decide to be unreasonable and spoil all the fun. The forces of boring defeated me not once, but twice.
“The third time we fought, I almost won. But there was one single pony who believed in me. My first and only friend. If I won, I would lose her. So I surrendered.”
He pauses, his gaze lost in the distant sunset.
“And where is she now?” I ask.
He looks at me. “She went to a place where I can't follow her.” After a pause, he continues. “Now I'm alone. I don't have a friend anymore.”
“I can be your friend.”
Discord claps and smiles. “How wonderful!”
He stands up. “So, Flora, I told you my story. Now it's your turn.”
“I was born here at Ponyville a few years ago. My father is a writer. My mother takes care of the town's animals. I have lots of friends.”
“Could you tell me more about your friends?”
“Sure!”
I stand up too.
“First, my mom's friends. They have been with me since I was born.
“There's Rainbow Dash. She loves flying. She says she's the fastest flier in all of Equestria! She often goes flying with Mom, and she said she will teach me to fly!
“There's Rarity. She's very elegant, and gives me lots of presents. She makes clothes and accessories. She has a younger sister, Sweetie Belle. She's my friend too.
“Then there's Applejack. She lives at a big apple farm. She has a little sister too, Apple Bloom, and an older brother, Big Macintosh. Their grandma, Granny Smith, lives with them. I'll go there tomorrow to help them with the farm and to play with Apple Bloom.
“There's also Pinkie Pie. She lives with the Cake family. She's so fun to have around, and she always gives me something delicious to eat! She also makes the best parties!”
Discord is smiling. Talking about my friends must be making him happy.
“Finally, there's Twilight Sparkle. She's the smartest pony, I think she's even smarter than Dad! She's always thinking about something or studying. She lives with the small dragon, Spike.
“Now, my friends at school...”
-*-*-*-
“You really have lots and lots of friends, Flora.”
“Yes, I love everypony!”
“I'd love to hear more about your friends, but” — he looks at a watch which appeared on his paw — “it's getting late. Your mom will be worried if you don't go home soon.”
The sun is already gone below the horizon. He's right.
He puts his hand on his chin. “Could I ask you to do something for me?”
I nod.
“There are many ponies who did not forgive me, and they still think I'm a bad guy. If they find out I'm your friend, they will try to take you from me. I don't want to lose another friend.”
“Don't worry, Discord. I won't tell anyone.”
“Thanks, Flora. You have no idea how important that is to me.”
“Goodnight, Discord.”
“Goodbye, Flora. When you want to meet me, just call. I'll be around.”
I go home. When he's almost out of view, I turn and wave at him. He waves back, with a wide smile.
Today, I found a new friend!
-*-*-*-
I leave my home earlier this morning, after talking to my bird friends. I take the same path as yesterday.
When I arrive at the place where I saw that statue yesterday, I leave the path.
“Discord? Are you here?”
He walks from behind a tree. “Good morning, Flora. Welcome back!”
“Did you sleep well?”
He laughs. “Oh, no, the night was so lovely that I did not see any point in sleeping. Don't worry, I'm not tired.” He smiles.
“Can I show you something?”
He sits down on the tree trunk. “Of course!”
I whistle. My little bird friends answer to my call, and land on the tree branches.
I raise my hoof. The first birds answers, starting a slow melody. I let myself feel the flow of the song, a song which tells of the wonders of nature. As the song reaches a quieter passage, I make a small gesture, and the second bird enters the song, its voice complementing the first one.
A third bird enters the song, its tempo now faster. It now tells of the ponies of Equestria, and their often complex relationship with nature. One by one, each bird joins the song, until they are all singing together. My eyes are closed, but I can see each one of them, as I use small gestures to help them sing together.
As the song comes to an end, I open my eyes. I can see Discord hastily hiding a tear. I thank my bird friends, who fly away.
“That was beautiful, Flora!”
“Thanks, but I can't take the credit for it. It was another pony who taught this song to the birds, many years ago. I just practiced it with them.”
“I see.” He puts his hands together. “Even then, I could tell you were an important part of the song.”
He looks at the sky. “I guess it's my turn.” He gestures to a small cloud, which moves by itself to us. As the cloud goes below the treetops, he snaps his fingers, and the cloud turns pink. He gets two sticks, and takes part of the cloud on each one. He then takes a bite of his part of the cloud, giving me the other stick.
I take a small bite. “It's cotton candy!”
“You can eat as much as you want.“ He leans against what's left of the cloud. “Of course, if you eat too much, you will not have appetite left for lunch. You were going to an apple farm, weren't you?”
I nod. “I'll be going them. Thanks for the cotton candy!”
“It was a pleasure. It's me who should thank you for the music.”
“Bye, Discord!”
“Goodbye, Flora!”
I go ahead, while he stays there, smiling widely.