Best of Friends?

by Wonderbolt Writer

Chapter 2: Sugar Cubes and Rock Pie

Discord barged in through the door to Sugarcube Corner carrying Maud under one arm like a piece of luggage. If luggage had four legs, talked and had an endless amount of enthusiasm for all things rock-based that is.

"Table for two, please!" he said, brandishing a smile. Maud lightly poked and proded at his ribcage. "Oh, m-my mistake. Table for three!" he corrected, realizing he had forgotten all about Boulder.

Pinkie Pie had been standing behind them the entire time, ready to get things rolling. "Why if it isn't Discord and my big sister Maud! What a complete and total surprise it is to see you two here!" she gave a slight wink. "So what brings a couple of budding buddies like yourselves to Sugar Cube Corner?"

"Oh I think you'd know." said Discord, poofing up a small rectangular table with just the right amount of seating he had requested. "Since we are after all following your instructions." He took his seat, conjuring up a menu. "Feel free though to play innocent if you must, Pink One." Maud took her place right beside Discord, he had placed all three chairs on the same side of the table leaving the other side completely bare.

That meant it was also totally free for Pinkie Pie to zip about back and forth from the kitchen bringing in an assortment of delectable delights table-side in mere seconds.

With each dish she would move and rattle off the next confection with ever-increasing speed until her movement became a scrambled-eggy blur and her words incoherent. "Here's some coco-cupcakes, chimi-cherries, cherry-chungas, coffee-cookies, Cajun-chili-cake..." Given enough effort he could have deciphered her babble, that is if he were even interested enough to do so.

When Pinkie had finished, the front counter of the bakery was no longer in sight. All of that now lay behind a formidable looking wall of sweet treats stacked up high almost rubbing the ceiling. And atop all of it was one massive bowling ball sized ooey-gooey cherry of delectableness. Pinkie gently nudged Discord. "Do I know you guys or what?" She beamed happily, pointing to her crown jewel giant cherry.

Discord folded his arms, obviously upset. "You know Pinkie, one of these days you and I are going to have an interesting little chat."

"Bout' what?" she asked.

He took a small bite out of the Cajun-chili-cake. "Oh nothing really, but maybe we could talk about it at one of those nifty little sleep-overs!! One where we eat nothing but candy all night, play board games, do each other's hair.... Oh and we would stay up all night long chit-chatting and blathering on and on about all our favorite desserts!"

"Really?!" Beautiful tears of joy filled Pinkie's eyes as she latched onto him tighter than Spike held on to his moustache phase. "Oh, I'm so happy Discord! We'll have the bestest time ever, I can't wa-"

"No..." He began, phasing his body out of her clutches. "We won't be having the 'bestest time ever'. Cause' that isn't what I really meant."

Maud stared him down as Pinkie's tears of joy began turning sour.

"Oh no missy!" He tried his best to act tough. "You can shoot me daggers all you want but I won't ever, never ever, be having a pretty princess sleep-over with Pinkie Pie!"

Boulder too joined in. His fiery stare reached in to the very depths of Discord's chaotic soul. ...And touched it.

Discorded shuddered, feeling the full force of both their stares. "Okay fine, so maybe someday it'll happen. Happy?"

Pinkie shouted with glee and Maud set her gaze back to the dessert table.

"So what did you mean about us having a talk?" Pinkie asked.

"Well about your apparent magical abilities of course! I mean how else does one explain how you zip about and do the things you do? But that all can wait. First things first, do you really expect Maud to eat any of this, Pinkie?" His arms stretched out all around the table to further illustrate his point.

"Yep!" was her quick response.

"You do eh?" said Discord. "Funny, because I've practically only just met this Sister of your's but even I know that she doesn't like can-".

Then it happened. And it was glorious. It all became a blur to him in his later years but this moment was forever etched into his memory.

Maud leapt up onto the table and began devouring each and every single moursel of food with a ferocity Discord had not seen in all his years. If a speck of frosting even thought of flying out and toward the ground it was quickly seen and sucked up into the bottomless void that was her stomach. Even her sibling's earlier display of amazing speed and agility couldn't compare to this. Undeterred she powered through it all.

Then it was done. And Maud was full.

"Burp." Maud expelled gas through her mouth by literally saying the word behind her action. "Thank you Pinkie, that was delicious."

"No problem Maud, thought you could have left some for Discord.

"No, No, I'm good..." he said, mouth still agape and eyes still transfixed on the table before him. Shaking it all out he looked at the pair of them, his eyes squinted. "There is something going on here and with more than just one Pie family member! Believe me, I shall get to the bottom of it all! ...Eventually." He unfurled Pinkie's list and checked off the first item. "Alright so that takes care of 'Go to Sugar Cube Corner'. Now the next item on our agenda is to... 'M-Make drawings of each other'?"

Pinkie piped up. "Yessiree, nothing cements a relationship quite like a good ol' drawing!"

Not even arguing, Discord brought out a plethora of artsy equipment and slapped it all on the table while simultaneously transporting everypony and everything out to a nice open field just outside of Fluttershy's cottage. "All right let's get this over with." Paintbrush in hand he began to work the canvas, sneaking peeks every so often at his bluish-grey subject. Maud, stoic as ever, followed suit by grasping a bit of charcoal with her hoof. Unlike the Draconequus she never once looked his way whilst making her masterpiece.

"Finished." she said, with barely a minute having passed by.

"Oh come on!" Discord protested. "You can't be done yet, I'm not even finished. And here I was handicapping myself and doing it without my magic-".

"Discord?" Pinkie interjected. "Are you maybe just a teensy bit worried that your painting won't look as good as Maud's?"

He scoffed at the idea. "N-Not in the least! Because my dear Pinkamena, in the world of art there is no such thing as 'good' or 'bad'." He held up the canvas toward them. "But judge it if you must. Just remember it's unfinished qualities..."

The canvas was nearly completely bare, white all over save for a small section in the middle which showed Maud. He had drawn her completely in a multitude of colors with her body made up of an amalgamation of several different types of rock. The most brilliant colors were to be found in the irises in each of her eyes. They were filled with magnificent colors from both the known and unknown universe.

"This represents," he began. "both your love of rocks as well as your...um, unique personality. But the secret is in the eyes, they tell all of the inner 'beauty'." He waited patiently for her critique with a smug look on his face, proud as can be of his creation.

Maud took a couple of steps forward, clearing her throat. "And here I thought you only liked me as a friend. Thank you Discord."

"Now what a second! The feelings seen here in this paint-". he paused, realizing something. "You're just messing with me again aren't you?"

She grasped her own paper up into her mouth and held it out. "Here, dis izz mine."

Discord snatched up the parchment with haste. "Are. You. Kidding me?!" No wonder she had finished so quickly. What he saw was merely a slightly curved line not unlike an upside down walking cane adorned with just two squiggly ovals at the top for eyes. He looked up upon hearing the crinkle of yet another piece of paper.

"And here's my drawing of Boulder..." Maud held it out for him to take but he did no such thing. Instead he just stood there stuck in a stupor, gazing at the artwork. This one depicted a pony entirely made of basalt with a lean and muscular Bruce Lee body type. Black armor semi-covered his form and the parts it did cover were molded the body just right to show off every facet of his muscular physique.

"Well," Discord said, taking a slow gulp. "I guess this experience has been if nothing else, a bit of an eye opener if you will."

"Finiiiiished!" Pinkie yelled, catching their attention. "Introducing King Grover! Sculpted in all his glory out of one-hundred percent pure sugar cubes and chocolate frosting!"

"W-Who? Eh, it doesn't matter, not important." said Discord.

"I'm getting diabetes just looking at it..." added Maud.

Pinkie collapsed on the ground, covered in a gooey mess. "Yep, he's such a sweetie! Hahahaha!"

The Lord of Chaos approached the enormous statue. "Not bad I guess, pretty detailed for one made of frosting."

"...And sugar cuuuubes." Pinkie corrected.

"Yes, yes, and the sugar cubes. How could I forget? But you know what would make him even more lifelike?" He gingerly touched a glowing talon to the figure's leg, instantly causing it to spring to life and take flight. Pinkie watched in awe as her creation rose higher and higher to the skies until it began making it's way toward Ponyville.

Without so much as a good-bye Pinkie dashed off after him, leaving them both behind."Wait! King Grover! Where are you going?!"

"Discord..." Maud said.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, I'm not gonna scold you. So um, could you do that to Boulder? It would make him happy, to finally have his dream body and all." Maud held her little friend in one hoof and her masterpiece in the other as a point of reference.

"Hmm..." He thought for just a split-second. "Sure why not?!" He waved a paw over her image. "Just a simple copy and..." A ghostly mirror image lifted off the paper. "...paste." Positioning it over Boulder he let go and watched as the image and stone became one. To the average pony Maud would appear to be simply staring, expressionless at what just happened. But to Discord or anypony who really knew her they would be the ones to see the shimmer and sense of endless wonder in her eyes. It was a dream of her's come true. But then the unthinkable happened. The candied statue of King Grover swooped in from nowhere and clasped onto Boulder lifting him high into the air.

"P-Pleeeaase!" Pinkie came into sight taking several deep breaths. Unusually winded from such a short chase. "...stop...flying...a-away."

Maud slowly lifted her gaze up at the pair. "No, bad Boulder...stay." Amazingly her monotone scolding did nothing to deter the defiant rock.

Then Grover unleashed a chocolate curdling screech to the heavens as he flew off carrying his cargo, all toward the lovely place known as Canterlot.

"Um..." Discord was wide-eyed by this point. "D-does anypony else think this might be a problem? I'm already not in the Princesses good graces as it is..." He gave a light laugh. He was, despite it all, rather amused when he thought of the ensuing chaos that could develop from this mess.

Pinkie took her list out and checked off the second friendship task. "Well then I guess it's a good thing that the next stop on the list is a trip to Canterlot's famous donut shop huh?!"

"If I didn't know any better..." said Discord, leaning in over the pair. "I'd say you two planned this....But c'est la vie, I suppose."

Author's Note:

My sincerest thanks to you for reading! Please let me know what you think! :D