As per usual, the atmosphere of the school cafeteria was alive with the hustle and bustle of students gossiping and chatting it up. Flash Sentry was tuning his guitar, the Crusaders were brainstorming some new plan, and Granny Smith was serving everyone with a smile. Everything was pretty much the status quo. But even though there was no sign of Discord's influence to be seen anywhere, Sunset still felt very on-edge as she got her food and sat down with her friends.
"Alright, I think we should go over this one more time just to make sure we're all on the same page about tonight's concert," said Fluttershy, taking out her notebook.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Chill out, Fluttershy. We all know the sitch. We're meeting at the Animal Rescue Center at six o'clock to set up, we agreed to play 'Perfect Day for Fun,' and I already talked to Vinyl about helping out with our sound. Everything's copacetic."
"For now, anyway," Sunset sighed.
Applejack gave Sunset a concerned look. "You still worried about that Discord fella?"
"Of course I am," said Sunset. "Trust me, you guys don't know Discord like I do."
"Darling, you've been fretting about this all day," said Rarity, stabbing a bit of lettuce with her fork. "I understand you're concerned about the safety of our world and all, but there is such a thing as being overly cautious."
Sunset shook her head. "I dunno, Rarity. I feel like the second I let my guard down, he's gonna make something terrible happen."
"So, you're just gonna treat him like a bad guy no matter what he does?" asked Pinkie, tilting her head. "That's silly. I mean, we don't do that to you."
Sunset's shoulders became stiff. "I. Am not. Like Discord," she said in a strained tone. "In fact, I'm getting a bit sick of being compared to the most ruthless tyrant in Equestrian history."
Pinkie cast her eyes downward. "Sorry, Sunset. I didn't mean to make you mad."
Sunset sighed. "It's not your fault, Pinkie. It's his. Every time he brings that up, I feel like he's messing with my mind. I swear, if he tries to pull that one more time, I'm gonna lose it."
"Hey! Hey, you guys!"
The conversation was cut short by a familiar voice crying out to them. The Rainbooms turned to see Sonata bobbing and weaving around several people as she ran up to their table. She skidded to a halt right in front of them and took a moment to catch her breath.
"Um, you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"No. I'm not okay. Nothing is okay," Sonata panted. "Look, you gotta listen to me. This is super duper important!"
The Rainbooms looked across from each other and shared a collective shrug.
"Um, sure. Have a seat," said Rainbow Dash, gesturing to an empty spot.
Sonata blinked in confusion. "Wait, that's it?"
Fluttershy gave Sonata a befuddled look of her own. "Were you expecting something else?"
Sonata rubbed the back of her head. "I thought for sure you guys were gonna yell at me to get lost or beat me up."
Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Now why in tarnation would we go and do an awful thing like that?"
"Well, you guys hate me, don't you? I mean, after the whole Battle of the Bands thing and all."
There was an awkward pause and the Rainbooms tried to come up with a proper response. Rarity broke the silence by clearing her throat.
"W-well, 'hate' is such a strong word, darling," she said. "I can't say that we like you, but—"
"I like her!" Pinkie chirped, cutting across Rarity.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, you say that about everyone."
Pinkie shrugged. "How is that a bad thing?"
"Look, the point is none of us really like what you did. There's no disputing that," said Sunset. "But if something is really bothering you, we'll hear you out."
Sonata's eyes sparkled "F-for realsies?"
"For realsies!" said Pinkie with a firm nod.
Sonata took a quick look around to make sure the coast was clear. She noticed that Aria had just sat down at a table across from the Rainbooms, watching the exchange intently. Sonata swallowed a large lump in her throat and took a deep breath.
"O-okay. Thanks, guys," she said, taking a seat next to Rainbow Dash. "Uh, just so you know, I still hate you for taking away my powers and junk. It's just that this is way more important."
"Well, stop beatin' around the bush and just spit it out already," said Applejack. "What're you so worked up about?"
Sonata did another check before saying her piece. "I-it's Discord. He's broken out of his stone prison, and he's come to break all of our brains and take over the world!"
"Didn't you try to do that just last week, though?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Sonata shook her head vigorously. "No, you don't understand! Discord's, like, a bajillion times nastier than all of us put together! He's gonna make this world worse than the worst, and you guys have to stop him!"
There was another awkward pause as the Rainbooms looked at one another. Sonata sighed.
"Look, I know it sounds like I'm making all this up, but it's true!" she insisted. "I saw him with my own eyes! He's messing with Adagio right now as we speak! You guys have to—"
"Um, back up," said Sunset, raising her hand. "He was talking to Adagio?"
"Yeah," said Sonata. "I mean, I don't know what they were saying, but he's probably luring her into some kind of trap! You guys gotta help her! I'm not lying about this!"
"No one said you were, Sonata," said Rainbow Dash. "Actually, we believe you."
Sonata did a double take. "Y-you do?"
"We actually saw him this morning," Fluttershy mumbled, stirring her tomato soup. "He was quite, scary-looking."
Sonata scratched her head. "Wait, I'm confused. If you know he's here, and you know what he's gonna do, why haven't you done anything about it yet?"
"Well, that's actually a bit complicated," said Sunset. "Y'see—"
She was interrupted by a country-style ringtone going off. All eyes turned to Applejack, who looked equally perplexed.
"Now who on Earth could that be?" she pondered aloud. "I'm certainly not expectin' any calls."
She took out her cellphone and checked the caller ID. Unfortunately, it simply said "unlisted." With a shrug, she answered it. In a flash, Discord appeared on her screen wearing a grey suit and a porkpie hat. His paw clutched a small notepad, and his talon held a blue quill.
"There's no cause for alarm, Ms. Applejack. I simply want to ask you a few questions," he said plainly.
Sonata yelped and hid herself behind Rainbow Dash. "I-it's him! He's here! Don't let him get me!"
Applejack gave Discord a quizzical look. "What kind of questions?"
"Well, let me start from the beginning," said Discord, scribbling in his notepad. "Are you by any chance familiar with the incident that transpired this morning?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Applejack firmly.
Discord's snake tail tapped an app marked "Doubt" on Applejack's phone. "Is that right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You heard nothing about the mess left in Sunny's locker?"
"I heard about a mess in the hallway from the janitor throwin' a fit," said Applejack. "I had no idea it was because of Sunset, though."
"I see," said Discord, jotting down this information. "Now then, let's talk about you and Sunny. How would you describe your relationship with her?"
Applejack shrugged. "I think Sunset Shimmer's a swell gal and a good friend. Sure, she's a bit rough around the edges, but I've come to respect that."
Discord's tail whipped the "Doubt" app again. "Are you sure about this? You two haven't had any large disagreements or anything like that?"
"Can't say that we have," said Applejack earnestly.
Discord nodded and wrote down this information as well. "Tell me, Applejack. You own a farm, correct?"
"My, family does," said Applejack, rubbing her head. "What's that got to do with anythin'?"
Discord reached into his pocket and pulled out a single bit of straw. "Sunny's locker was filled with a mountain of these little things. Would you say that this is possibly hay from your farm?"
"I, suppose," said Applejack with a shrug. "I mean, I can't picture anywhere else it could've come from."
Discord's tail swished over to an app marked "Truth" and tapped it. Discord himself tapped the underside of his chin with his quill.
"So, you admit that the hay may have come from your farm," he mused. "That gives you the means. Now, let's go over the—"
"Wait just a minute!" Sunset interrupted. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"I think I'm trying to gather some information," said Discord.
"Don't give me that!" Sunset snarled. "Applejack is not responsible for booby trapping my locker this morning!"
"Can you honestly say that for sure, Sunny?" asked Discord, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to believe it myself, but no one ever said the truth was pleasant."
A raging inferno ignited in Sunset's eyes. "I knew it! I knew you were up to something! You're trying to make me turn on my friends! I never should've trusted you!"
"Wh-what? No, that's not it at all!" Discord cried. "I was just—"
"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Sonata yelled. "He's gonna destroy everything!"
Discord deadpanned. "Okay, two questions. Who is that, and who invited her?"
"That just so happens to be Sonata Dusk," said Sunset, narrowing her eyes. "And she was just telling us about your little chat with Adagio."
Discord's eye went wide. "So that's what this is all about. The Sirens are setting me up! Sunny, you can't trust them!"
"I trust them more than I trust you at the moment, Discord," Sunset said bluntly. "At least they aren't trying to cause any real damage like you are."
"Look, I can explain," said Discord. "Adagio told me that Applejack was the one who booby trapped your locker. I wasn't sure whether to believe her, so I just started an investigation."
Sunset scowled. "You really expect me to buy that? How do I know Sonata's not telling the truth about you?"
"W-well, because Twilight Sparkle has already vouched for me!" Discord retorted. "Didn't you see the letter?"
"That still doesn't prove anything!" Sunset roared back. "You probably corrupted her when you took over Equestria for all I know!"
Discord threw down his notepad and quill and ripped off his suit. "Okay, this is starting to get ridiculous. No matter what I say or do, you keep finding fault with it! I'm trying my hardest to befriend you, but you keep typecasting me as an irredeemable monster! You've been in my shoes before; you should realize that you're acting like a total hypocrite!"
Sunset pounded the table in a fit of anger, garnering the attention of all the other students. "Well, excuse me for exercising some caution around the mad tyrant of Equestria who can control reality!" she screamed.
"Sunny, if you'd just give me a chance—"
"You had your chance, and you blew it!" Sunset bellowed, cutting across Discord. "I don't believe you changed at all! You're still up to your old tricks; pitting everyone against each other with your dastardly schemes!"
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Discord insisted. "I wanted to get you justice for what happened this morning. What was I supposed to do?"
"Oh, I don't know. Tell me about it and let me handle it?!"
"But if I did that, you'd just yell at me. That's why I wanted to handle things myself."
"I seem to be yelling at you right now, so good work avoiding that!"
Discord's shoulders slumped over as he twiddled his fingers. "I-I just wanted to help."
"Well, you didn't," Sunset huffed.
Pinkie blinked. "Is anyone else getting déjà vu, or is it just me?"
Every muscle in Sunset's body became tight, and she took in a long, sharp breath. After a pause, she glared at Discord.
"We are not the same, Discord," she stated coldly. "I don't care how many comparisons you make between us; you will never make me stray from my path."
"B-but Sunny—"
"Don't, call me that," Sunset snapped. "We are not friends, we never were friends, and we will never be friends. Now either leave this world and get out of my life, or my friends and I will put you back in your stone prison."
Discord snorted angrily. "You know what, Sunset Shimmer? I was jealous of you for a while. You actually have a good life here in this school, even after all you've done. I'm only just starting to get that kind of respect back home. That's why I wanted to be your friend so much. I thought there was a lot you could teach me. But as it turns out, you're no better at this than I am. In fact, maybe you're a bit worse. Because if our positions were reversed, I'd accept you in a heartbeat."
He then summoned a coatrack with a matching fedora and jacket resting on it. He took the hat off the rack and put it on upside-down, and he put the jacket on inside-out. "Keep this conversation in mind when you get your next message from Twilight, because at the end of the day, you're going to feel really stupid. Good day to you, madam."
Applejack's phone suddenly sparked violently, and all of the other lights in the cafeteria flickered for a moment. When everything settled, Discord was gone. A hush fell over the cafeteria as everyone stared at Sunset in awe and confusion. Sunset's cheeks turned bright red.
"Are you gonna be okay, Sunset?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Sunset bit her lip. "I-I need to be alone."
Without another word, she marched out of the cafeteria.
"H-hey, wait up!" Pinkie hollered. Before she could get up from her seat, Fluttershy held her back and shook her head.
"Let her go," she said. "I'm sure she'll be alright after she's had some time to cool down."
Pinkie sighed. "Oh, okay."
Slowly but surely, lunchtime resumed. The Rainbooms continued eating in silence while the rest of the school began discussing what had just occurred in hushed tones. Sonata simply sat there, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the spot where Discord and Sunset had their quarrel. Even after the Rainbooms left to dispose of their trays, she didn't move a muscle. Aria scooted over next to her and munched on a large chocolate chip cookie.
"Well, that was quite a show," she said, sounding quite amused. "I honestly can't say I was expecting that to happen, though. I'll bet Adagio's just as surprised, huh Sonata?"
Sonata didn't respond. Aria raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, hey. Earth to Sona—"
"Aria?"
Aria recoiled slightly at Sonata's sudden response. "Um, yeah?"
"This is usually the part where we feed off the negative energy, right?"
Aria shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah. I mean, we can't do that anymore, but that would definitely be happening right now if we could."
"And, that usually feels good, right?"
"Energy being converted into magic tends to do that, Sonata," said Aria, scratching her head. "Why are you bringing this up?"
Sonata let out a deep sigh. "Because I don't feel good right now. In fact, I don't know how I feel. It's like there's this icky black stuff in my tummy, and my heart's all yellow and green."
Aria blinked. "Okay, I don't understand a word you just said."
"Th-that's the best way I can describe it, though," said Sonata. "I dunno, I never felt anything like this before. It's so weird, and it kinda hurts, too. Negative energy isn't supposed to hurt us. Th-this doesn't make any—"
Her eyes suddenly became as wide as dinner plates. "Oh no."
"What now?" Aria groaned.
Sonata's chest heaved up and down as her breathing became erratic. "I-it's Discord. H-he must be mad at me for trying to foil his plans. He's making me feel strange in order to punish me."
She continued to hyperventilate as tears welled up in her eyes. Aria gulped.
"N-no. Don't you dare," she said nervously, backing away from Sonata. "Don't even think about it, Sonata. I'm gonna get so mad if you do this. I-I mean it. Don't do it, Sonata. Don't—"
Before she could say another word, Sonata let out a loud wail and tackled Aria into a hug. She buried her face into Aria's chest, staining her clothes with tears and snot.
"Hey, what did I say?! What did I just say?!" Aria scolded.
"P-please, Aria! Y-y-you have to help me-e-e-e-e-e~!" Sonata bawled. "I-I don't feel like myself! I-I'm scared!"
"Th-that's not my problem!" Aria growled, trying to pry Sonata off of her body. "Now get off! You're making a scene!"
"C-c'mon! D-don't say that!" Sonata sobbed, her voice muffled through Aria's shirt. "I-I don't know who else to turn to!"
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?"
Sonata sniffled and looked up at Aria. Aria scowled at her moist undershirt as tears continued to flow down Sonata's face.
"Y-you have to tell the Rainbooms," Sonata whimpered. "I-if Discord put a curse on me, they can help."
Aria scoffed. "You go tell those stupid Rainblossoms. I'm not speaking to them."
"B-but they hate me. I messed everything up."
"You're still not making sense, Sonata. Last I checked, I wasn't on their friend list, either."
"B-but I don't know what else to do, Aria. I-I'm so confused, and I feel like I messed up, but I don't know why, and everything's just so strange and scary, and Discord's probably gonna—"
"You're not letting go of me unless I promise to help, are you?"
Sonata's lip quivered as she made puppy dog eyes at Aria. After a long pause, Aria groaned.
"Alright, fine," she relented reluctantly. "If it means you'll stop whining like a baby, I'll go talk to 'em for you."
Sonata got to her feet and smiled. "Th-thank you, Aria," she said, drying her eyes. "You're the best."
Aria sighed. "Yeah, well. You're the worst."
"I know," Sonata said glumly, looking down at her feet. "I feel like the worst."
Aria winced. "O-okay, do me a big favor and never say that again. Seriously, you're starting to scare me."
Sonata nodded meekly, and the two headed off. Unbeknownst to them, Discord's eyes appeared on the neck of Flash Sentry's guitar.
Hmm. This is unexpected, he thought. Maybe none of us have the full story here. I need to see where this goes.
With that, the eyeballs closed and disappeared before anyone could notice.
***
While all this was going on, Adagio watched the entire ordeal from outside the cafeteria. She couldn't tell what was happening, but she knew Sunset was mad at Applejack's phone for some reason. Her lips curled into a thin smile.
You're doing great so far, Discord, she thought, wringing her hands and walking away. Now, I'll just need to find you again, and we can start discussing Phase Two...