Adventures in Magic and Friendship: Season 1

by kurusagi16

Discordant Reunion: Harmony and Discord's Day Out

Discordant Reunion: Harmony and Discord's Day Out

It was a typical sort of day in Equestria, or at least, it had been, until shortly around midday when Princess Celestia cleared the throne room of guards and told them not to disturb her unless it was a dire emergency. She'd been patient over these past few weeks, waiting for a reply to her countless letters, and upon not receiving any, that left only one action left to resort to. With the throne room now empty except for herself, Celestia began to use the special summoning spell she had, filling the room with a whirlwind of magic. As the wind and lights down, she looked to the spot a few feet away from her in front of her throne, where there now stood the being she'd intended to summon. And that being, was none other than the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony himself, Discord.

His eyes widened with momentary surprise at his sudden change of location, but he quickly recovered as soon as his gaze fell upon Princess Celestia as she sat before him on her throne. "Ah, Princess Celestia." he said with his usual smirk and silky tone of voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this abrupt little summoning?"

"I think you know very well what the reason is, Discord." said Celestia seriously.

"Really? And what might that be, dear princess?" he asked nonchalantly.

"In case you are not already aware, I've been sending you countless letters to your home in Chaosville, and you have not replied to a single one." she said.

"Oh, yes, I'm truly sorry about that." said Discord, not meaning it. "But you know how unreliable the mail is these days, especially in regards to my quaint little abode. Why, I can't tell you how many times I've had to lodge a complaint to the postal service every time their letters end up arriving late."

"I sent the letter directly to you with my magic, Discord." said Celestia, her tone becoming hard yet she remained somewhat composed. "It did not go through the postal service. There should be no reason for you not to have received it."

Discord swallowed, his smirk faltering for just a moment. The truth was, he had in fact received Celestia's letters. He'd hoped to avoid both them and Celestia for a little while longer, until he could come up with a plan, but it seemed like he wouldn't be able to dodge either for much longer.

"N-now that I think about it, I might have some recollection about receiving one of your letters some time ago." Discord managed to reply, thinking back to the moment in question.

It had been the first letter Celestia had sent to him, with regards to Harmony, how her powers had awakened, and how she wanted to teach her how to use her powers and become a spirit. After reading the letter, Discord tore the letter into tiny little pieces, thrown them into a trashcan, burned them inside the can, and kicked the trashcan out the door of his cottage, where it was taken away by a flying badger that was passing by. Ever since then, Discord had been lying low in Chaosville, tossing out Celestia's letters into the bottomless pit and waiting/hoping that the princess would give up and move on. However, that was sadly not the case, as he now found himself before her.

"Have you given thought to what I've asked in my letter?" asked Celestia.

Discord nervously began to fidget. "Well, I didn't necessarily read your letter, more like, skimmed over it. But whatever it is, I'm sure you don't need me. There are plenty of other ponies out there more qualified and more willing to take you up on your little teaching offer." he said.

Celestia smirked a little at Discord. "If you only skimmed over it, then how did you know my letter was asking you to help teach?" she said.

Discord's pupil's shrunk. "Er, well, I..." His mind fumbled through what to say, searching for an excuse to get himself out of this conversation. "You know what? I'd love to stay and chat with you some more, Celestia. Really, I would. But I have other things that I need to attend to, so if you'll just excuse me--" He had planned to quickly teleport out of the throne room and back to his cottage, when Celestia cast her magical aura around him and froze him in place. Discord squirmed and struggled to break free, but Celestia was using every bit of her strength and concentration to keep him from leaving. "Really now, Celestia. This seems a like a bit much, don't you think?"

"Hardly." replied Celestia sternly. "You've been putting this off long enough Discord. It's time that you stop and actually listen to what I have to say."

Discord let out a long, dramatic groan and rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine! Just get it over with and make it quick."

Celestia eased up the spell she had on Discord gradually as she spoke what she had to say to him. "As I've been trying to say to you countless times over the past few weeks, I want you to help Harmony in her training to become the new Spirit of Peace and Harmony." she said.

Discord cringed at her words and frowned deeply. "And you want me to do that, why?" he asked. "Honestly Celestia, if you're seriously considering me, the Master of Chaos to teach the incarnate of everything that goes against what I stand for some magic tricks, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought."

"Discord, I'm serious about this!" argued Celestia. "Harmony needs a guide, somepony to show and teach her what to do during her training to become a spirit. And you are the one she needs."

Once again, those words made him wince. "I doubt she really needs me that badly." Discord countered. "She's gotten on just fine without me so far, surely somepony else could--"

"Don't think you can weasel your way out of this, Discord." Celestia was starting to lose her patience. "I understand how you may be a little...apprehensive about teaching Harmony, what with being her counterpart, but as a fellow spirit, there are things that only you could show her, and provide her with answers to the questions she may have. And who knows, maybe, after you two get to know one another, you may actually become friends."

"Friends?" Discord scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, princess. The Spirits of Chaos and Harmony, becoming friends? Ha!"

"You were able to become friends with Fluttershy, and eventually the rest of the bearers." Celestia pointed out.

"That was different!"

"Oh?"

"And besides...even if I did want to teach that Harmony pony, which I don't, what makes you think we'd get along, or that she'd even like me? Who's to say she even wants me to teach her?! It'd be a complete and utter disaster, and not in a good way." He folded his arms and turned his head to the side in a superior sort of way.

For a moment, Princess Celestia was silent. She looked past Discord's high and mighty act, and could see that he was slightly shivering. Shivering with what looked unquestionably like nervousness and fear. "Discord...are you, afraid?"

Discord stiffened. "Afraid?" he laughed nervously. "Me?! She's just a pony, what could I possibly be afraid of?"

"But you are." said Celestia. "You're afraid about meeting Harmony, aren't you?"

Discord stammered, and then let out a groan of frustration. "I'm not afraid of her! I just, really really really really really really really don't ever want to see her or have anything to do with her for the rest of my life."

"Discord--"

"I mean, in case you've forgotten, Harmonia and I weren't exactly on the best of terms with each other in the past. Not to mention the other, more recent escapades I've had, especially the one involving that old tree of hers. After everything I've done to her and Equestria, there's no way Harmonia would ever forgive me! She'd do everything in her power to see that I paid for what I'd done for the rest of my life, maybe even beyond that! I wouldn't put it past her to do it."

"Harmony is not Harmonia, Discord. True, she is Harmonia's reincarnation, but other than that, Harmony is her own pony and has no memory of Harmonia's past or the history the two of you once had."

Discord let out a loud harrumph, blowing out some air through his nostril, still not entirely convinced my the princess. "Sure she isn't. Let's say she doesn't have any memories of me, that still doesn't mean that we'll get along. We're two opposing forces! Chaos and Order. Disharmony and Harmony. Disarray and peace. The list goes on!"

"You don't know that for sure." said Celestia.

"Neither do you." Discord shot back. "So I suggest that you give up what little ideas you've got about me and Harmony and let me get back to my own business."

Celestia thought carefully to herself what she could do or say that could change the stubborn Draconequus' mind. Then, she had an idea. "You're right, I don't know whether or not things will go well between you and Harmony."

"Hmph! Of course I'm right!"

"But that doesn't mean that you can't at least give her a chance."

Discord arched a bushy eyebrow at Celestia. "What are you saying exactly?"

"Spend a whole day with Harmony, get to know her. Then, if you've changed your mind and are willing to teach her, then both she and I will be most grateful. But, if you still refuse, then I shall respect your wishes and will leave the matter alone."

Discord was very much intrigued by this offer. He stroked his chin and smirked to himself. While he would have to spend an entire day with Harmony, it would be worth it to get through this easy challenge and prove to Celestia once again how he was right.

"Alright." he said at last. "I accept your little challenge, princess."

"I'd hardly call it a challenge." said Celestia. "But thank you Discord, I shall tell Harmony as soon as possible that you've agreed to meet her and spend some time with her."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure she'll be jumping for joy over hearing the news." he said sarcastically. "Now, when exactly is this little get together taking place?"

"Tomorrow." Celestia answered simply.

Discord's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk. "T-tomorrow?!"

Celestia nodded. "While you have agreed to meet her, there's no doubt in my mind that you'd try to find some way of getting out of it. So, the sooner you two get acquainted with one another, the better." she said.

Discord clenched his teeth and his fists, but let out a heavy sigh and said, "Oh, fine! Tomorrow it is."

"And you have to be at the Ponyville train station by 8:00 AM sharp." she added.

Discord looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. "Very well, if you're finished with me, I must be off. If you need me, you know where to find me."

And in a flash of bright light, Discord was gone.

Celestia let out a relieved sigh. "Well, I'd say that went out much better than I had expected." she said to herself.

---

At the Rose Cafe...

"No way, you're actually going to meet Discord?" asked Razzaroo.

Harmony nodded. She'd just received a letter which had appeared out of thin air from Princess Celestia, talking about how she managed to arrange a little get together for her and Discord, and had just finished reading it aloud to her friend.

"It says right here that I have to meet him at the Ponyville train station tomorrow at 8 AM sharp." said Harmony, setting down the paper onto the nearby counter.

"Ohoo! How exciting!" Razzaroo exclaimed excitedly. "What do you think the two of you will be doing tomorrow? Do you think he'll be nice? Is he exactly like how they describe him from the past? Can he really make yummy chocolate milk rain down if he wanted?"

"Easy there, Razz." said Harmony, stopping her friend so she could get a word out. "I've never even met Discord yet, so I don't know what he's like or what's going to happen."

"Oh, right."

"But, I will admit, I am a little excited....as well as nervous, and a little bit annoyed."

"Annoyed? Why be annoyed?" asked Razzaroo.

"Princess Celestia has been trying to send letters to Discord, asking for his help in my training to become a spirit." she explained. "But he hasn't even replied once! And now, after all these weeks have flown by, he finally decides to meet me on a little outing? It just...irks me!"

Razzaroo tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe he just wants to get to know you first." suggested Razzaroo. "After all, I'd feel all kinds of awkward trying to teach a stranger I don't know. Especially seeing as how I've never really taught anypony before. But, that's just me."

Harmony looked over at Razzaroo and then back down at the letter. She did make a fair point. Harmony took in a deep breath. "I guess you might be right, Razz." she said. "I shouldn't be so hard on somepony I don't know."

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Razzaroo.

Harmony grinned at her confidently. "I'm just gonna go out there and see what happens." she said. "It'll be my chance to make a good impression and to finally get to know him."

Razzaroo nodded in agreement. "Yeah! It'll probably end up being a blast for you two, I mean, what could possibly go wrong?"

---

At Fluttershy's cottage...

After his little audience with Princess Celestia, Discord needed someplace to unwind and somepony to share his woes with. And there just so happened to be such a place and such a pony just a hop, skip, and a jump away. He knocked his lion paw three times upon the door of the rustic little cottage and waited as it began to open. His dear friend, Fluttershy, stood in the doorway, and looked up at him with a beaming smile and bright teal eyes.

"Discord! How good to see you!" she gushed happily. "Please, come in."

Discord returned her smile as he sauntered in. "With pleasure, my dear." he said. Discord sat himself in his usual spot on the couch, making himself nice and comfortable. "I'm terribly sorry for not writing to you and not appearing to our usual Tuesday Teas, but I had some...things that needed to be taken care of."

"Oh, it's okay, I don't mind." said Fluttershy understandingly. "Though, I was a little worried." she admitted. "I was beginning to wonder if maybe something awful happened to you while you were home in Chaosville, like maybe you caught that tatzlwurm flu again."

Discord waved a paw at her words. "Oh no, it was nothing like that, Fluttershy. But, you don't have to worry any longer, from this point on, everything will go back to normal...well, for the most part."

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.

Discord then recounted to Fluttershy what had happened with Princess Celestia, leaving out a few things here and there and changing it oh so slightly in some parts (like how Celestia had actually sent letters to him over the last few weeks). "And now I have to spend a whole entire day with her tomorrow." he concluded.

"Oh my." said Fluttershy. "That seems a bit sudden."

"I know! I couldn't believe it myself." said Discord. He fell back on the sofa, dramatically resting his eagle claw over his head. "And now I have no other choice but to do as she says and meet up with the little pony."

"Well, even if it is on short notice, I'm sure the two of you will have a wonderful time tomorrow." said Fluttershy positively.

Discord smiled weakly at his friend. "Yes, I'm sure we will." he said, not convinced by his own words.

Fluttershy frowned with concern. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Well, let's just say, Harmonia and I didn't get along too well in the past."

Fluttershy got up from the armchair she'd been sitting in and placed a hoof on Discord's talon and looked up into his face with an encouraging smile. "You don't have to be afraid, Discord, you can tell me about it if you want to."

"I-I'm not afraid!" he said defensively. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

Discord gulped as he began to explain. "A long, long time ago, before my glorious if not brief reign over Equestria, I'd tried to...get rid of Harmonia so I could gain control and rule over the land."

"Get rid of her?" Fluttershy asked, looking a little worried.

Discord held up both his arms. "Nothing serious, mind you. I just wanted to weaken her, imprison her, maybe even make her my servant. After all, she was Equestria's protector at the time, and in order for me to do as I pleased without her interfering, I had to...dethrone her, as it were." he said.

"And did you?" asked Fluttershy.

Discord shook his head. "I'm afraid not, as much as I'd love to take credit for it. I tried many attempts to get rid of Harmonia, and she managed to always best me one way or the other. But when she went and got herself turned into a tree, well, that was the end of it. There was nopony else who could stop me, and I took control. It was fun, until dear Celestia and Luna rose up to stop me, but, you get the idea." Discord looked at Fluttershy with an unsure expression, wondering what her reaction would be.

"I see." she said. After a moment had passed she continued, "I forget sometimes about how you weren't always the dear friend I've come to know and love." Fluttershy looked Discord in the eye and smiled warmly at him, that same warmth touched his heart and made him relax. "While you may have done some bad things in the past, you're not the same Draconequus you were all those years ago. You're better than that." Fluttershy then let out a little chuckle as she added, "I've met with Harmony, and she seems like such a sweet pony. I'm certain that she won't care about what you've done, and that the two of you will get along just fine."

"How can you be so certain?" asked Discord.

"Because." answered Fluttershy with a smile. "I know you, and I'm sure once Harmony knows you too, she'll grow to care for you as much as I do." She thought for a second and then said, "Well, maybe not exactly like I do, but still. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

As much as Discord wanted to believe in what his dearest, bestest friend was telling him, there were still some doubts and worries that gnawed away at him. He looked over at Fluttershy, who was doing her best to try and relieve him of said worries. He put on a sweet smile for her and said, "I suppose you are quite right, my dear. I should just wait and give her the benefit of the doubt."

This caused Fluttershy to beam at him proudly before pulling him into a warm hug. "I'm glad!" she said.

Discord returned the hug, appearing confident and consoled by what Fluttershy had said, when deep down, he wished and hoped that Harmony would change her mind tomorrow, and not come to the train station at all. If only he could be so lucky.

---

The next day at Ponyville train station...

Discord had arrived, much to his displeasure, exactly as he was supposed to, at 8 sharp. He tapped his foot in an impatient manner, waiting for Harmony to show up and hoping that there was a chance that she wouldn't show up and he could go home. However, that was not meant to be, as the Friendship Express promptly pulled into the station. A small handful of ponies stepped off of the train. Since Discord was so tall, he could easily see each pony that boarded the station, so when Harmony stepped out and into view, he immediately spotted her. As his eyes fell on her, he froze, his pupils shrinking slightly with nervousness. She looked exactly like Harmonia, of course there were a few minor differences. Like how she wasn't quite as tall, she didn't look like an Alicorn, and she didn't look quite so serious as Harmonia always had been, but other than that, there was a very strong resemblance to the old Spirit of Peace and Harmony.

Harmony saw Discord and trotted up to him with a friendly smile. "Hello there! You must be Discord. I'm Harmony, a pleasure to meet you." She said, extending out a hoof to the Draconequus to shake.

Discord stared at the hoof for a moment before tentatively taking it in his hoof and lightly shaking it. "L-likewise." he replied.

"I'm glad that you actually came." Harmony said. "I was worried that you might not show up at all."

"What? Don't be ridiculous!" said Discord, laughing nervously. What she'd just said was kinda true, in that he almost left to ditch Harmony and this little outing altogether. "Why would I ever do something like that?"

Harmony scuffed the ground a little with her hoof and replied, "Well, I just thought, since you didn't seem to be too interested in meeting me before, that you wouldn't be interested in meeting me today." she then added, "But you came! So I'm glad, now we can start off getting to know one another."

"R-right." Discord thought back to what Fluttershy said to him the other day. About giving Harmony the benefit of the doubt and all that other stuff. He exhaled a little and said, "So then, now that introductions are out of the way, what should we do next?"

Harmony tapped her chin. "Well, I haven't really thought about it too much, I was thinking we could just wing it."

"Well in that case, I know exactly where we should stop first." said Discord.

"Really? Where?"

"Someplace with food, I'm famished."

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind going out to eat, I didn't have breakfast either."

"Then we're both agreed." Discord then teleported a few feet away, floating off the ground. "Let's get moving."

Harmony chuckled. "Lead the way."

* * *

At an open air restaurant...

So far so good, Harmony had thought to herself after they left the train station.

She'd been worried about starting things off on the wrong hoof with Discord, but Harmony started to relax a little, after seeing how the Draconequus didn't seem so bad. In fact, he seemed quite nice from what she could tell. Things had gone well when she and Discord arrived at an open air restaurant and placed in their orders, but after that, an awkward silence began to hang over the table, with both spirits not sure what to do or what to say.

"So, um..." said Harmony, trying to think of something to say to start up a conversation. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not." said Discord. "What is it?"

"Well..." Harmony searched around her mind, coming up with a good question to ask. Then, she remembered that book Princess Celestia had let her look at, and how she'd read about her past self. "What was Harmonia like?"

Discord seemed to stiffen at the question, but then asked back in reply, "Why do you ask?"

"Er, no reason really. It's just that...I can't help but wonder, you know? Princess Celestia told me about how I'm her reincarnation or whatever, but I wonder just what kind of pony she was."

Indeed, she had been wondering about this question for a while now, ever since she'd come to grips with being the new spirit, she'd tried to ask Celestia what her past self was like, but the princess had answered regretfully that she'd never met Harmonia before, and only had limited knowledge about her.

Discord had given her a studying gaze before answering back, "From what I recall, Harmonia was rather dull, at least from my perspective. Always talking about peace and the value of friendship, and all that other sappy nonsense, and she acted very serious most of the time, it made me wonder if she even had a sense of humor at all." Discord then muttered under his breath. "Not to mention how she would always get in the way of my plans."

"Huh?"

"Nothing! I mean, I'm sure the two of you would've got along just fine."

"Really?" asked Harmony.

"Of course, she's your past self right? So you're practically the same pony."

Harmony glanced down at the table. "I don't really know about that." she mumbled.

She'd seen and read about Harmonia, how she was powerful (and beautiful), and known for protecting the land against all sorts of evils. The only evil she'd faced so far were the changeling swarm. So when she thought about herself compared to Harmonia, Harmony felt as though she and her past self were on two entirely different levels, with Harmonia being somepony she could only hope to be like.

The waiter soon arrived with their food, placing them onto the table before turning to leave to let them enjoy their meal. Harmony looked at her food, which was a stack of waffles with syrup, cream, and strawberries on top, and took a bite from it.

"Mmm! This is pretty good!" she complimented, taking another bite from the waffles. "How about you?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, it's alright as well." said Discord, spearing his food and eating it whole without swallowing.

"So...um, Discord." began Harmony. "I was hoping that I could also talk to you about..."

Discord held up a talon to her lips and interrupted her. "Before you finish, I know what you're going to ask." he said. "The same thing that Celestia's been pestering me nonstop about, regarding me being your teacher, right?"

Harmony's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "Well, yes." she answered.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but as I've already told Celestia I'm afraid that I'm not interested in taking up a teaching position."

"Oh." said Harmony, looking a little disappointed. "Sorry."

Discord waved a paw dismissively. "Ah well, no matter, it's best that you know now after all." he said.

"Yeah."

Discord then resumed eating his meal, while Harmony poked at her stack, suddenly not really feeling up to eating it.

* * *

After their little "brunch", Discord and Harmony went around to different parts of Ponyville, making the occasional small talk. Time seemed to drag on, up until it was noon, and there was still more hours left in the day that the two had to go through. Harmony began to feel more and more awkward, like she was doing nothing but boring Discord and making the day turn out badly. She wasn't completely sure why she was feeling or thinking like this, but the most likely explanation was probably because she wanted to have this day be fun. She really and truly wanted to make a good impression on Discord, and maybe even befriend him. He was a spirit after all, and while he might not be interested in teaching her, it would be nice to have someone to talk to who knew what it was like to be a spirit and all that. But for some reason, she just seemed to be nothing but a ball of nervousness, and imagined that she was acting like a total fool. However, Discord wasn't really paying any mind to Harmony's nervousness, in truth, he was more preoccupied in getting through the day quickly so he could go home. If things were to keep going at this rate, then the relationship between the two of them would definitely end before it even began. Luckily however, there was somepony who was secretly following close behind them, taking note of how their date out was progressing every step of the way.

Razzaroo had decided to come to Ponyville without telling Harmony, to be there for her and to help support her, so that she could make sure all went well for Harmony that day. She'd also asked Kimono if she wanted to come along, but Kimono had declined, saying it was better not to interfere and to let things progress naturally. And Razzaroo agreed, but that didn't mean she couldn't be there just in case her best friend needed a little push. And judging by how super awkward things had gotten, Razzaroo knew she had to do something to help break the ice between the two, and get them to start warming up to each other. Thus, Razzaroo put into action, her plan to fix up this get together and get rid of all this awkwardness that loomed over her friend.

---

"Alright, time to put my plan into action." said Razzaroo to herself, hiding in some bushes. A filly nearby noticed her slinking out and sneak toward Discord and Harmony, and ducking behind houses.

"Mommy, what's that pony doing?" she asked, pointing a hoof at Razzaroo.

"Let's just move along dear, and don't make eye contact." said the mother, pulling the filly along with her.

Razzaroo ducked behind another bush and donned on her disguise.

"So, what should we do next?" asked Harmony.

Discord shrugged. "I can't really say, there's nothing that interests me at the moment."

"I see." said Harmony, looking down at her hooves.

"Excuse me you two!" A voice cried out, startling the two of them. A strange pony wearing heavy clothing, wearing glasses, and a hat went up to them, pulling an ice cream cart. "Yes, hello there strangers!" Spoke the pony in a deep voice. "Would you two be interested in some free ice cream?"

Discord and Harmony looked at each other before returning their gaze to the suspicious character with skeptic looks.

"Free ice cream?" asked Harmony warily.

The pony nodded. "Yes, it's part of a campaign to promote the start of my new business. So, what do you say?"

"No thanks." the two replied in unison, fast walking away from the pony and cart. Razzaroo tore off the disguise and frowned.

"Drat! I thought that ice cream was sure to help smooth things over." she said. "Onto Plan B!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Man, that pony sure was shady, huh?" said Harmony to Discord.

Discord nodded. "Tell me about it, I mean, it was so obvious!"

"What do you suppose he wanted?"

"Who can say? But I do suddenly find myself in the mood for ice cream." he snapped his talons, and in an instant, a hot fudge sundae appeared. He looked over at Harmony and asked, "What about you?"

"M-me?"

"Yes, aren't you going to conjure yourself something, or are you not hungry?"

"Oh, well, I'm not really good at conjuring things yet."

"Really? It's really quite easy. Just visualize what you want, and use your will and powers to make it appear. Go on, try." said Discord.

Harmony was hesitant at first, but she did as he suggested, and made a bowl of chocolate ice cream with chocolate shavings and chocolate syrup appear before her. She widely grinned and her eyes lit up. "I did it!" she cried triumphantly. She turned to smile up brightly at Discord, "Thanks!"

Discord gave a slight smile, "Please, it's a simple enough spell." he said.

Not too far away, Razzaroo watched them eating their frozen treats as they strolled. "Huh, the ice cream really did work." she said. "But still, those two still have a little ways to go. Onto the next plan!"

Razzaroo had went up to a gray Pegasus Pony with odd eyes and asked her to do a little favor, which she agreed to after Razzaroo explained the situation. In this new plan of Razzaroo's she would have a sudden rain shower start up, making it so that Harmony and Discord would have to duck for cover together, that way they could pass the time by talking and opening up until the rain passes. And so, on Razzaroo's signal, the Pegasus Pony started up the rain clouds.

A few scattered raindrops fell onto Discord and Harmony, and were gradually beginning to increase. "Weird, I didn't think it'd be raining today." said Harmony, gazing up at the sky quizzically.

"As did I." said Discord. He snapped his paw and conjured up a giant umbrella that opened up the wrong way. "There, that should help."

"Uh, are you sure?" asked Harmony, tilting her head as she looked at the umbrella.

"Of course it will! Just watch." after a while, the raindrops began to collect in the umbrella, but somehow managed to keep the two of them dry.

"Hey, it actually does work!" she said.

Discord smirked. "Told you so."

From up above, the Pegasus Pony was letting out the last bit of the cloud's water, when Rainbow Dash flew up to her.

"Derpy, what are you doing?" she asked. "We're not supposed to be letting out any rain today." As Rainbow Dash told Derpy to put the cloud back, the rain fall stopped.

"Well, that was quick." remarked Harmony.

"Indeed, guess we won't be needing this anymore." said Discord, as he closed the umbrella. But as he did so, he ended up dumping a ton of water on himself and on Harmony, leaving them sopping wet. Discord looked down at his form and frowned. "Drat!" His ears then lifted up as he heard the sound of a snicker. He turned to the source, and saw Harmony burst out into laughter. Discord stared at her confused and asked, "What's so funny?"

Harmony cleared her throat, to keep herself from laughing any further, but she still retained a large smile. "Sorry, it's just that, that umbrella of yours kept us dry when I didn't think it would, only to end up getting both of us wet now that it's stopped raining." She let out another little laugh escape from her and added, "I just find it a little funny, is all."

Discord began to chuckle. "It is a little funny, isn't it." he said. "But it's nothing when you compare it to some o the things I've done."

"Really, like what?"

"Glad you asked. This one time, I--"

Razzaroo smiled proudly to herself. "Ha! It went exactly as planned!" she declared. "But I should still follow them, just in case.

---

"Orange you glad jokes? Really?" questioned Harmony. She and Discord had been chatting about some of the antics he'd pulled off in long life, and got to talking about a couple of the jokes he used on the Mane 5 a while back. But for the most part, Harmony didn't find them very funny. "I haven't laughed at any of those since I was in kindergarten."

"Hey, at the time they were very funny, especially considering the circumstances they were told in." Discord said defensively.

Harmony rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure they were. But honestly, you'd think the so called Master of Chaos would be able to come up with some better material than that."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'd like to see you try."

"Okay, I will." Harmony flew up to Discord's ear and whispered the joke.

Discord snorted and then burst out laughing. "Alright, that was a good one." he admitted.

Harmony shrugged. "I guess. It's just a little something my mom told me once."

Discord then went a little silent and then said, "Harmony..."

"Yes?" she asked.

"When I said that you were practically like Harmonia, I was wrong." he said.

"Huh?" she said, cocking her head to the side.

He looked into her face and smirked. "You're even better." he said.

Harmony blinked in surprise. "R-really?" she asked.

"In a way, yes. You're certainly a lot more lively than she was, and you actually show a sense of humor as well."

"Thanks...I think." said Harmony, still a little unsure.

"To tell the truth, I wasn't sure about you at first." Discord admitted. "I thought perhaps you might have some kind of grudge or disliking of me after all I did in the past."

"That's ridiculous." said Harmony "How could I not like someone I don't even know yet."

"Yes, I suppose it was a little foolish of me to think that."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was a little worried too. I wanted to make a good impression, because I thought maybe we could at least be friends, but I felt like I was only making things more awkward and spoiling a good day."

"Really? I didn't notice."

Harmony laughed. "I guess we both got a little nervous for no reason, huh?"

"I guess so." Discord said, starting to chuckle.

"So, do you think you could? Be my friend that is." said Harmony.

Discord, while he might've hesitated before, replied, "Of course."

Harmony smiled, and the two of them resumed their chat.

---

Before either of them knew it, the day was coming to an end, and it was time for Harmony and Discord to head off on their separate ways. Both of them stood on the train platform, saying their goodbyes.

"You're welcome to visit me any time if you want." said Discord.

Harmony smiled. "Thanks! But I think I might want to get a map first before going to Chaosville."

"Yes, I suppose it can be rather difficult to navigate for some."

"And if you want, you're more than welcome to drop on over to the Rose Cafe whenever you're in Canterlot."

"Sounds lovely, perhaps I'll even bring Fluttershy along."

The conductor yelled out, "All aboard!"

"Looks like I'm off." said Harmony. "It was good to meet you Discord, I had a lot of fun today."

"As did I, Harmony." he said. "And," he added. "While I'm not one for teaching, I think it wouldn't hurt to show you a few magical pointers now and then."

"Really? I'd like that a lot!" said Harmony. She turned and headed for the train, waving goodbye to the Draconequus. "Bye, Discord! See you again soon!"

Discord also waved goodbye, before disappearing in a flash of bright light.

Harmony sat herself on the train, as it pulled out, she said loudly, "Alright Razz, you can come out now."

Razzaroo fell out from her hiding place. "Huh? How did you know I was here?" she asked.

Harmony rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that hard. I could easily see the way you were lurking around in town, trying not to get caught. And I could tell you were up to those little quirks earlier as well."

Razzaroo laughed nervously and said, "Sorry, I just wanted to help you out, that's all."

"Next time though, you should ask before you act." said Harmony.

"Right." said Razzaroo, lowering her head.

Harmony sighed and said, "Even so, you did help me out a little, so thanks."

Razzaroo beamed and hugged Harmony. "You're welcome!" she cheered.

Harmony wanted to clarify that this didn't mean that Razzaroo was completely off the hook, but instead, Harmony returned the smile, and hugged her best friend back. After all, it was thanks to her that she was able to make a new friend, who could be just a unusual and odd, maybe even more so.

Author's Note:

Sorry to end it like this! I had ideas for more eps, but I ended up being too busy. But, on the bright side, I'll be sticking with sequels regarding this AU, and the next one will be great (possibly).