//------------------------------//
// Friends of Friends 
// Story: Reformation Buddies 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//

The next morning, Sunset awoke to an unfamiliar yet pleasant aroma wafting through the air.  Groggily, she fumbled through her backpack and took out her cellphone.  She couldn't fully make out the display in her half-asleep state, but from what she could tell, it was only six o'clock.  Already, she felt that something was amiss.  Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another twenty five minutes.  She would've questioned this further, but at present, she was simply too tired to think.

She let out long, pronounced yawn and stretched herself out as she sat up in her sleeping bag.  She then looked down in front of her and smacked her lips.  It took a moment for her brain to register what was in front of her, but once it did, she recoiled in surprise.  Placed over her sleeping back was a wooden tray that held a mug of coffee, a vase with a small blue flower, and a laminated sheet of paper.  As she picked up the sheet to read it over, there was a bright flash before her eyes.  When the flash died down, Discord had appeared, sporting a black tuxedo and a handlebar mustache.  He held a pen in his talon and some sort of notepad in his paw.

"Good morning, Sunny!  Rise and shine!" he cheered. "I hope you're hungry, because we have a great selection for you today."

"Mmm.  S-selection?" Sunset murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Indeed," said Discord, scribbling in the notepad. "Our specials today are waffles from Belgium, toast from France, muffins from England, and we just got a shipment of cakes all the way from Pan."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that last choice. "Excuse me?"

"Of course, if none of that is to your liking, we also have eggs, hash browns, bagels, donuts, and croissants," Discord continued. "Or would you simply prefer a fresh grapefruit and the morning paper to start your day?  Anything your little heart desires, I'm sure our chefs can whip it up.  And of course by our chefs, I mean me."

Sunset stared blankly at the tray before her.  At that moment, she realized that the laminated sheet was some sort of menu.  But instead of listing specific dishes, it just displayed one item:


Anything Sunny Wants ~ $0.00


Sunset placed the menu down and turned back to Discord. "Okay, what's all this about?"

"Why, it's breakfast in bed, my dear," Discord answered. "I thought I'd take some time out of my day to do something special for you this fine morning.  That's what a good friend does, you see."

Just then, all of Sunset's memories from last night came flooding back as she finally came to her senses.  After shaking herself a bit, she sighed.  Discord frowned.

"What's the matter, Sunny?" he asked. "Don't tell me you never had breakfast in bed before."

"Well, actually, I haven't," said Sunset, rubbing her arm and casting her gaze downward. "And honestly, it's a very nice gesture."  She then looked up at Discord and narrowed her eyes. "Maybe a bit too nice."

Discord folded his arms. "Oh come now, Sunny.  Can't I do anything friendly without you scrutinizing it?  I'm genuinely trying to earn your trust here."

"I know.  That's what has me worried," said Sunset, heaving another sigh. "Besides, I already promised my friends that I'd meet them for breakfast today at our usual hangout."

Discord blinked, and then blushed. "Oh.  I, kinda wish you told me that in advance."

"Says the guy who barged into my bedroom last night without warning," Sunset countered.

"Touché," said Discord.  With a snap of his fingers, the breakfast tray disappeared. "Well, that's perfectly alright.  We can go have breakfast with your friends if that's what you want."

Sunset arched an eyebrow. "'We?'"

"Yes, we.  What's wrong with that?" Discord said with a shrug. "You're not just going to leave me here, are you?"

Sunset tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm.  You have a point.  Now that you're here, I should probably keep an eye on you.  But if you are telling the truth about becoming my friend, then I think we need to set some ground rules."

Discord took in a sharp breath through his teeth and let it out in a pained sigh. "Alright, fine.  If there's one thing I know about being a good friend, it sometimes means doing things you really don't want to do.  What are you stipulations, Sunny?"

"First of all, stop calling me that," Sunset growled.

"Why?  I think it's a cute nickname for you," said Discord sweetly. "Plus, it's a tad ironic, given your grumpy disposition.  I don't know about you, but I love me some irony."

Sunset gave Discord a bemused glare. "You're gonna keep calling me that no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"As long as we have a chance to be friends, I see no reason not to," Discord replied.

Sunset sighed. "Alright, fine.  But here's a big one that you have to follow."

"Alright, I'm all ears," said Discord as ears poked out of every point of his body. "What's this rule of yours, Sunny?"

"If you really want to be my friend, you can't get me into trouble," said Sunset sternly. "I don't know if you know this, but I had a pretty bad reputation at this school.  And while I've taken strides to erase it, it hasn't fully disappeared yet.  So I don't want you causing some chaos and pinning the blame on me, got it?"

"My chaos shall only be used to make you happy, Sunny," said Discord, holding up his talon and placing his paw to his chest. "This I swear on the Tree of Harmony itself."

Sunset blinked. "You're swearing on your arch-nemesis?"

"Former arch-nemesis," Discord corrected. "We're on good terms now."

"Right, of course," said Sunset, furrowing her brow. "Y'know, actually, I might want to tell my friends about you just to see what they have to say.  This whole situation is really beyond my grasp."

"You'll get no argument from me, Sunny," said Discord. "So, shall we get going?"

Sunset's eyes went wide. "Whoa, whoa!  Wait, hold on!" she exclaimed. "You're not planning to go out like that, are you?"

Discord tilted his head. "Like what?  Am I underdressed?  Overdressed?  Is it my breath?  I could hop into the shower quickly, if that's what you're referring to."

Sunset smacked her forehead. "Don't play dumb, Discord," she snarled. "People are going to panic when they see a large, bizarre-looking creature walking down the street.  There's no such thing as a draconequus in this world."

"Oh, right.  That whole thing," said Discord, twirling his goatee around his finger. "I figured it was something like that."

Sunset tilted her head. "Then, why did you act like you didn't know?" she inquired.

Discord shrugged his shoulders. "No reason," he said simply. "Well, don't you worry, Sunny.  I've come prepared!"

With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light.  A split second later, Sunset's ringtone began to play.  She picked up her phone and answered it, only to find Discord on her screen and messing with her apps.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Relax, Sunny.  I plan on leaving this place the same way I left it," said Discord, opening up a puzzle game app.  As he started eating the puzzle blocks, Sunset gave him a dirty look.

"Couldn't you have just turned into a human like me?" she asked.

"What, you mean be boring and predictable?  No, thank you," said Discord, still munching away at the puzzle blocks. "Besides, what exactly was your plan?  Pass me off as some foreign exchange student or something?  Not only would it not work, but that's just so cliché."

Sunset groaned. "Okay, maybe you're right," she conceded reluctantly. "Still, is this really the best you could come up with?"

"Why not?  It's perfect," said Discord. "Now whenever I want to talk to you, it'll just look like you're accepting a call.  That's a pretty good cover, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, only one problem, though," said Sunset. "We're supposed to turn our phones off in class."

"Well, that's no biggie," Discord responded. "I'll just take on another form."

"Yeah, or maybe you'll cause my phone to go off in the middle of class so that you can give me answers to a test," said Sunset, rolling her eyes.

"And, that would be a bad thing, how?"

Sunset deadpanned. "You seriously don't know?"

Discord gave Sunset a bemused look of his own. "You really need to lighten up, Sunny.  It was just a joke.  Seriously, even Rainbow Dash has enough of a sense of humor to laugh at a good prank."

Sunset did a double take. "Wait a minute!  How do you know Rainbow Dash?!"

Discord shrugged his shoulders. "Because she's my friend."

"Th-th-that's impossible!" Sunset stuttered. "She's my friend!"

"Oh, she is?  Goody!  Another thing we have in common!" Discord cheered.

Sunset's eyes narrowed as she wagged an admonishing finger at her screen. "If I find out that you did something to her—"

"Trust me, Sunny.  I haven't," Discord promised. "She doesn't even know I'm here.  Honest."

Sunset massaged her temples. "This is really starting to give me a headache," she grumbled. "Alright, we shouldn't waste any more time here.  I'll let it go for now, but no funny business, buster.  I've got my eye on you."

"Splendid.  Then you can see for yourself what a wonderful friend I am," said Discord happily. "Well, I'll see you soon!"

With that, he snapped his fingers, and the phone's screen reverted to its original state.  Sunset let out a sigh and stuffed the phone into her backpack.

"I really must be crazy, giving him the benefit of the doubt like this," she mumbled.  Just as she was about to lay out her clothes, her phone went off.  Curious, she took it out and saw that she had a text.  After reading it, she sighed.

"'I heard that, Sunny,'" she read aloud, rolling her eyes and deleting the text. "Cute."

She then put the phone back into her bag and prepared to change out of her pajamas.


***


Sunset arrived at the bakery just as the clock hit seven.  Peering inside, she saw that all of her friends were sitting around their usual spot by the window, waiting for her.  An uneasy feeling formed in the pit of her stomach, and she took a deep breath.

It's barely been over a week since the Battle of the Bands.  I hope they're prepared for this, she thought as she exhaled. Well, here goes nothing.

The bell over the front door chimed as she walked inside.  Right away, her friends perked up and waved to her.

"Good morning, Sunset!" Pinkie chirped.

"Hey, guys," said Sunset, trying to force a smile.  Applejack saw right through her facade and raised an eyebrow.

"You alright there, Sunset?" she asked. "You look kinda out of it."

Sunset brushed the back of her head sheepishly. "It's, a little hard to explain," she said. "L-let me just get my food, then we'll talk."

She ventured over to the counter, where Mrs. Cake was waiting with a radiant smile.

"Hello there, dearie," she said in her usual sweet tone. "What can I getcha?"

"A scone and some coffee, please," said Sunset, reaching into her wallet.

In a matter of seconds, she made her transaction.  She then took her food over to her friends and sat down.

"Wow.  You really do look worried, Sunset Shimmer," said Fluttershy. "What's wrong?"

"It's a little hard to explain, but I'll try my best," said Sunset, turning to Rainbow Dash. "First of all, I want to ask you something."

Rainbow Dash looked up from her egg sandwich. "Yeah?  What's up?"

"Did anything, strange happen to you last night?"

Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. "You mean something from Equestria kinda strange, or just the regular kind of strange?"

"The first one."

"Nah, nothing like that," said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head. "Why do you ask?"

Sunset bit her lip. "Well, if that's the case, I don't know what this means."

"What are you talking about, darling?" asked Rarity.

Sunset leaned in and beckoned the others to join her.  When the did so, she cleared her throat.

"Long ago, Equestria was ruled by the spirit of disharmony, known only as Discord," she whispered, making sure no one else would overhear. "Under his rule, all ponies suffered and were subject to his tricks and powers.  For his actions, he was turned into stone by the Elements of Harmony."

"Ooh!  You mean that whole magic of friendship thing we do when we defeat the bad guys?" said Pinkie.

"Exactly," said Sunset.

"Well, that's really interesting and all," said Rainbow Dash. "But why are you telling us this, Sunset?"

Sunset sighed. "Brace yourselves, guys.  This is gonna come as a shock."

Fluttershy gulped. "I don't like the sound of that."

Sunset reached into her backpack and took out her cellphone.  After laying it on the table, she tapped it on.  Just as the screen came to life, a beam of light shot from it, revealing a holographic image of Discord.

"Well now.  This is quite a surprise," he said, twirling his goatee around his finger. "I certainly didn't expect to see all of you here."  His gaze then met Fluttershy's, and he smiled. "Though I must say, it's nice to see some friendly faces.  How have you been, my dear?"

"EEP!"

Fluttershy squeaked in terror and hid herself under the table.  Discord snorted.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with my friend Fluttershy?" he growled indignantly.

"Um, that is Fluttershy," said Rarity. "I think the real question is who, or what, are you?"

"I think I should explain," said Sunset. "Guys, this right here is Discord."

"WHAT?!"

The entire group recoiled, with Fluttershy still cowering under the table.

"Wh-what do you mean that's Discord?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I thought you said he was encased in stone!"

"I thought that, too," said Sunset. "But he actually appeared in my bedroom last night without any warning."

"Wait, what's he doin' on your phone, then?" inquired Applejack.

"Well, I thought you already knew that, Applejack," said Discord with a smirk. "I am the Master of Chaos.  Anything I want to happen happens."

"Just a moment.  How do you know our names?" said Rarity, raising an eyebrow. "This is the first time we've even heard of you."

"Let's just say you remind me of some friends from home," said Discord, giving Fluttershy's empty seat a sideways glance. "Although it's clear to me that you really aren't them."

"Hang on, I think I understand what's going on here," said Pinkie, stroking her chin in thought. "You're saying that back in Equestria, there are pony versions of all of us, right?"

Discord blinked. "That's, exactly it.  How did you guess?"

"Just a hunch," said Pinkie with a goofy grin.

Discord chuckled. "Ah, Pinkie Pie.  No matter what the dimension, you always put a smile on my face."

"Well, I try!" Pinkie chirped. "I guess that's why Twilight got along with us so well.  We reminded her of her pals from home."

"I suppose that's as good a reason as any," said Applejack with a thoughtful nod. "But I reckon we've got more important things to worry about.  Like, what's this Discord guy doin' here now if he's supposed to be in stone?"

Sunset sighed. "That's just it.  I don't know.  He claims that he's been reformed, but after everything he's done, I can't think of anyone who would want to reform him."

"I'm pretty sure the same could be said about you, Sunny," said Discord, folding his arms. "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

Sunset's eyes twitched. "I-I thought I told you to stop comparing us," she growled through gritted teeth.

"Wait, why is he calling you Sunny?" asked Pinkie. "You never had a nickname before."

"Well, he claims that he's here so that he can be my friend," said Sunset.

"Then who are you to deny him?" asked Rarity. "I mean, after everything you've done, we still gave you a second chance."

Sunset's eye twitched again. "I-It's not the same thing.  Discord's ten times worse than I ever was."

"If you're so worked up about it, why doncha just ask Princess Twilight?" said Applejack with a shrug. "She knows what's goin' on in Equestria, doesn't she?  I'm sure she'll tell ya what's what."

Sunset shook her head. "It's not that simple, Applejack.  Discord can twist reality to whatever he wants.  If he woke up one day and decided that the sky was green, it would be green."

"I think plaid is more my color," Discord interjected. "But for the sake of argument, she's right.  Anything I want to happen can happen with a simple thought."

Pinkie's eyes sparkled. "Coool~."

"Um, no.  Not cool," Fluttershy whimpered. "That's actually very, scary."

Discord let out a sad sigh. "I'm not going to get used to that.  Y'know, back in Equestria, Fluttershy was the only pony willing to put up with me while I was being reformed.  But in this world, she hates me apparently."

Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, the point is that even if Twilight did write to me, Discord could just make it so that her response is favorable to him."

"That doesn't mean he will," said Applejack. "Go ahead, give it a try.  It can't hurt."

Sunset pondered this for a moment, and then shrugged. "I, suppose it can't," she said.  She then reached into her backpack and pulled out her book.  But when she opened it, she found a peculiar message.


Warning: Low signal due to chaos interference.  Please move to a chaos-free zone and try again.


Sunset gave Discord a dirty look. "Okay, Discord.  You're really losing your credibility here."

"What?  What did I do?" Discord asked innocently.

Sunset pointed to the message in her book. "Care to explain this?"

Discord let out a sheepish chuckle and blushed. "Ah, I see.  Terribly sorry about that, Sunny.  Chaos magic sometimes has this nasty habit of doing things that I didn't tell it to.  It wouldn't exactly be chaos if someone had control over it, after all."

Rainbow Dash knitted her brow. "I dunno, Sunset.  Something about this guy seems pretty shady."

"That's what I'm thinking, too," said Sunset gravely. "Discord was known to be a master manipulator, after all.  Besides, every history book in Equestria confirms that he always stood against friendship and harmony."

"But that's all in the past, Sunny.  I've seen the error of my ways," said Discord. "And now, I have lots of friends.  Look, I'll even prove it."

He then tapped on Sunset's address book app on her phone.  But instead of Sunset's contacts, it brought up a list titled "Discord's Friends."  Some of the names Sunset recognized; others she didn't.  She was especially perplexed when the name "Tirek" was crossed out and decorated with insulting doodles, while the name "Fluttershy" was surrounded by hearts and butterflies.

"He doesn't seem that evil to me," said Pinkie, observing the Discord hologram from every angle. "Maybe he's telling the truth."

"B-but what if he isn't and he ends up conquering this world?" said Fluttershy, emerging from her hiding spot. "Oh, but what if he is and we end up breaking his heart by not believing him?  I-I just don't know what to think."

"I don't believe any of us do," mused Rarity. "Sunset, did he say how long he was staying?"

"He said that he'd leave at around six twelve tonight unless he can earn my trust," said Sunset.

"Wait, six twelve?" asked Rainbow Dash, scratching her head. "Why not six o'clock or six thirty?"

"Because those times make sense, and that's no fun," Discord answered simply. "And until that time is reached, I will not rest until I can prove to Sunset Shimmer that I'm a good friend."

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "Well, at least he won't be interrupting our concert."

Discord blinked. "Wait, concert?  What's this about a concert, Sunny?"

Sunset bit her lip. "N-nothing.  J-just—"

"What do you mean nothing?  Fluttershy booked us to play at the animal rescue center tonight at six thirty!" Pinkie blurted out.  Sunset gave Pinkie a dirty look, and she blushed. "Oops.  I talked without thinking again, didn't I?"

"Oh, really?" said Discord thoughtfully. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to miss that.  I suppose I can stay for a bit longer."

"Hang on!  You promised me you'd leave at six twelve!" Sunset shouted. "We had a deal!"

"I am merely altering the deal, Sunny," said Discord in a dark, chilling voice. "Pray I don't alter it further."

Fluttershy squeaked and hid herself under the table again. "U-um, Mr. Discord?  A-are you sure you're a good guy now?"

"Yeah, I'm with Flutters on this one.  That's kinda creepy," said Pinkie.

"What are you talking abou—  Oh, I see what you mean," said Discord, his voice still raspy. "Hang on a second."

He then patted his chest and began coughing violently.  After a few coughs, a frog leapt out of his mouth, manifested itself into reality, and landed on Fluttershy's head.

"Sorry, bit of a frog in my throat," said Discord, patting his chest once again. "Those little devils make me say the darnedest things, I tell you.  Well, I'd love to stay and gab, but I think I should rest for a bit.  Ta-ta, girls!"

With that, the hologram disappeared, and the phone's screen reverted to normal.  Fluttershy emerged from under the table, cradling the frog in her arms.

"Well, what do you think we should do now?" asked Rarity.

"Y'know what I think?" said Applejack, adjusting her hat. "I think we should give this guy the benefit of the doubt for now.  He doesn't seem to be lyin'."

"But it might be a trick, AJ," said Rainbow Dash. "He could end up ruining our concert!  We can't let that happen!"

"That doesn't mean he will, darling," Rarity said firmly. "Although his demeanor does appear to be a tad, uncouth."

"Well, when you get right down to it, he didn't look like he was that evil," said Fluttershy, playing a bit with her new friend.

"Looks can be deceiving, though," said Pinkie, knitting her brow. "But at the same time, he seemed super fun, too.  I-I dunno, I just can't decide.  What do you think, Sunset?"

Sunset heaved a great sigh. "I honestly have no idea if he's telling the truth or not.  And I can't get a message out to Twilight because of this chaos interference or whatever.  I guess all I can do right now is keep my eye on him and see what happens."

"That's probably for the best, Sunset," said Applejack with a tip of her hat.  She then picked up her apple danish. "Now then, I think we've spent enough time gabbin'.  Let's finish our breakfast so that we can get to school on time."

The others nodded in agreement and dug in to their own breakfasts.  While they talked about a great many things to take their minds off their troubles, Sunset couldn't erase Discord's presence from the back of her mind.  Of course, she didn't hide her feelings all that well.

"Aw, cheer up, Sunny!" said Pinkie, patting her on the back. "I'm sure that no matter what happens, it'll all turn out alright in the end.  That's how it always works, right?"

Sunset couldn't help but smile at Pinkie's optimism. "I suppose you're right, Pinkie.  We'll get through this, no matter what Discord throws our way."

Just then, her phone lit up and vibrated, indicating that she got a text.  She picked it up and let out an exasperated groan.

"What's wrong, Sunset?" inquired Rarity.

"'I heard that, Sunny,'" Sunset read aloud.

Everyone stifled a giggle.  As they laughed, Sunset couldn't help but let out a chuckle herself.  Even with the threat of Discord hovering around her, it was impossible to be in a bad mood with her friends.

Pinkie's right, she thought. No matter what happens, we'll get through this together.  Even so, I really don't know what to believe.  I hope Twilight can find a way to contact us soon and straighten this mess out.  Otherwise, I'm gonna end up having a migraine before this is over...