Episode 10: The Reformation of Discord
Episode 10: The Reformation of Discord
Two weeks had passed, and by this time Discord hade made a complete recovery. The draconequus in question now stood awkwardly alongside the Mane Six and Vaati as they waited for the Friendship Express to enter the Canterlot Station. The other ponies present made sure to give the two strange-looking creatures a wide berth. Vaati paid the skittish ponies no mind, glancing every couple of moments at Discord to make sure he wasn't getting into any trouble.
The Mane Six were chatting amongst themselves about the recent turn of events and how they were going to help out. Vaati paid them no mind either, knowing their ideas would be fruitless in the end. Suddenly they heard a bell cheerfully ring, accompanied by the hiss of expulsed steam as the train arrived. Discord looked down at the wheels and immediately began to complain. "Oh, it stays on a set track? Jeez, think of how much more interesting it would be if this thing just flew through the air!"
A vein began to throb in Vaati's forehead as he grimaced. "Whoopty-do, Discord. No one cares. Now shut up and wait for the train."
Discord sighed dramatically and craned his neck downward, his head hovering over Vaati's. "But I'm boooored."
Vaati's eye twitched, but the sorcerer just stared ahead with an icy glare that could freeze Death Mountain solid. Discord inwardly laughed. If he was going to be stuck with the tacky-clothed ape-wizard until further notice, he had might as well make the most of it. He knew the mage was right, though; Discord really wasn't considering the idea of complying with everypony's wishes. The idea of him reforming to suit Princess Celestia's boring tastes made him gag. But that didn't mean he wouldn't put on a good act. He was Discord; of course he would put up a show. And as scary as the sorcerer was, Discord knew that he simply couldn't resist pushing as many of Vaati's buttons as possible during his stay.
In any case, he was no longer trapped in stone. That, in and of itself, was a plus.
The train slowed to a stop and opened its doors, passengers beginning to file out. At least until they saw Discord, at which point they immediately stopped and gasped in terror. Vaati rolled his eyes and stepped forward, shooing them off. "Alright, all of you! Move on, nothing to see here! Off with you! Go on, get!"
Snapped out of their trance, the passengers hurriedly scurried off, their eyes fixated on the looming chimera. Vaati glanced up at Discord. "Get in."
"What if I want to sit on top of the train?" Discord cheekily inquired.
Discord promptly felt his his head jerk down to Vaati's level as the irritated mage pulled on his goatee. "No buts," Vaati growled. "Get. In."
With no room left for discussion, Discord stepped inside the train car, with Vaati and the Mane Six following after.
Vaati sat with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash in one set of seats, while Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack sat in another set close by Discord, who lounged in a corner seat, taking up a whole set by himself, in order to keep an eye on him. Well, Rarity and Applejack were keeping an eye on him; Pinkie was trying to start a conversation with the mischievous spirit by chattering as much as possible about anything and everything, all of which Discord pointedly ignored.
"So what are we going to do about him?" Twilight asked.
Vaati scoffed. "Wait for him to make a mistake, and then turn him back to stone right then and there."
Twilight frowned. "Vaati, at least give him a chance."
Vaati waved his hand dismissively and replied, "Yes, yes. I know. I just…don't have much faith in the idiot. I'm fairly certain he has no intention of reforming like Celestia wants."
"Well, it's not like he doesn't have an incentive to give it a try," Twilight pointed out. "The more he improves, the more magic Princess Celestia gives back to him."
"A system he can easily abuse," Vaati countered. "It's not like he couldn't put up an act until the right moment. He can pretend all he likes, and when the time comes and he has all his magic back, he'll be free to go right back to the way he was before."
Fluttershy finally mustered her courage and spoke up. "Well…maybe he needs…a bigger incentive."
Vaati raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
"Well…um, maybe…maybe he just needs a friend," Fluttershy timidly replied.
Vaati rolled his eyes in bemusement. "Of course. The magic of friendship. I should have known better than to doubt you."
His heavy sarcasm did not go undetected. "Hey, it worked on you, didn't it?" Rainbow spoke.
Vaati glared daggers at the rainbow-maned pegasus. "Twilight got lucky in that she was there at the right time. Most of you, on the other hand, annoy me to the brink of insanity. There is a reason I tend to avoid associating myself with the rest of you when I can."
Rainbow gave him a dirty look, while Twilight couldn't decide whether she should be flattered that Vaati had admitted he thought of her as his friend or insulted that Vaati refused to extend the same courtesy to her friends. "But that's just it, though," Fluttershy explained. "You…you may not…like the rest of us…but you do like Twilight. Everypony can see how she's changed you…and please…don't tell me you can't see it yourself."
Fluttershy's words smarted. "I…uh…I…blast you, Fluttershy," Vaati grumbled.
Knowing she was starting to get through to him, Fluttershy smiled slight and continued, stuttering less as her success boosted her courage. "I think Discord needs the same thing. He needs a friend. Even if it's just one, it could be what he needs in order to become a better person."
Vaati pursed his lips in indignation. "What in Din's name do you expect me to do, get all buddy-buddy with him? I think not."
"It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" Fluttershy pressed.
"I'm willing to tolerate him living at the Palace of Winds. That's as far as I'm going to go."
Fluttershy sighed in defeat. If only Vaati wasn't so darned stubborn all the time… "Well, if you won't do it, then I will," she proclaimed.
Several seconds of shocked silence followed until Twilight managed to recover first. "Fluttershy…are you sure about this?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rainbow added. "I mean, this is Discord we're talking about! He's the reason we have to manually change the seasons and manipulate the weather every year, since his pranks messed up some of the physical laws of our world a thousand years ago."
Fluttershy looked over at Discord, who was amusing himself by holding up Applejack's hat where she couldn't reach. Applejack was fuming as she tried to grab her hat, while Rarity chided him for his unpleasant behavior. Fluttershy turned back to look at her friends and answered, "Well…no, but I think somepony needs to give it a shot, and if I'm the only one willing…"
Twilight nodded her head in understanding. As they continued their discussion, Applejack finally got fed up with Discord's antics and turned her back on the spirit as he laughed uproariously. Applejack abruptly cut his laughter short with a well-placed buck between his legs. Overwhelmed by the ensuing agony, Discord opened his mouth to scream, but could only manage a strained squeaking noise. The humbled draconequus collapsed on the ground and rolled around on the ground with his mismatched hands covering the wounded spot, wheezing, "That…wasn't…fair…" Applejack picked up her hat and returned to her seat without a word, leaving Discord to writhe around on the floor, feeling the pain no male ever wanted to feel.
Having not noticed any of the background events, Twilight said, "Well, if you think you can get through to him, then go for it. We'll help whenever and however we can." Twilight then glared at Vaati. "All of us will."
"For Din's sake, what more do you want from me?!" Vaati griped. "I'm providing him a living space while he's here, aren't I? I feel that's adequate contribution."
Twilight leaned forward and poked her hoof into Vaati's chest, ignoring his usual why-are-you-touching-me-you-heathen look. "Listen up, mister," Twilight sternly said. "There's a lot you can do to help, and you are not gonna welch out on it! Understand?"
Vaati growled irritably. "Alright, fine. What do you want me to do?"
"Encourage him to try to make connections with others," Twilight suggested. "Get him to talk to your monsters. Maybe he can actually make friends with some of them."
"…The only reason I know you're being serious is because you have no sense of humor," Vaati flatly replied. "Him make friends with my servants? Really?"
"Yes, really," Twilight responded. "And then get him to do the same with everypony who lives in Ponyville."
Vaati narrowed his eyes. "You're barking mad, Twilight."
Ignoring that last comment, Twilight continued, "In the meantime, also try to teach him about how his magic can be used for good. Show him a few examples by going around town and helping in some minor tasks. Show him that doing good things can be fun too."
Vaati frowned. "Vaati the Wind Sorcerer does not do 'minor tasks'."
"Oh, will you suck up that pride of yours for once in your life?" Twilight griped. "Jeez, you can be so bull-headed at times I can mistake you for a Minotaur."
"Shut up, you."
Rainbow Dash doubled over in laughter at that, eliciting an icy glare from the sorcerer that cut her guffaws short. "Eh he he he…sorry," she muttered, sitting back in her seat.
Suddenly they heard the conductor's chipper voice over the intercom. "If I can have your attention, everypony, we will soon be arriving in Ponyville, so please gather your things and be ready when this train enters the station. Thank you for choosing the Friendship Express as your method of travel and we hope to see you again!"
"Friendship Express?" Discord gaped. "They call this thing the Friendship Express?! GAG!"
One of the very few things Vaati could agree with Discord on.
XXXXXX
Palace of Winds, Main Hall…
The heavy iron doors of the Palace of Winds opened at their master's behest, allowing Vaati and Discord entry into the foreboding fortress. The two Moblins standing guard on either side straightened at their master's presence. Detecting Vaati's magical signature from elsewhere within the palace, Nigellas then appeared before them, bowing to Vaati. "Lord Vaati, welcome back," he greeted.
Vaati nodded and gestured towards Discord. "This is Discord, the spirit of chaos," Vaati introduced. "He will be staying here at the Palace of Winds for a while as we attempt to teach him about the "Magic of friendship"."
Nigellas stifled a snicker at the absurdity of that statement. "Heh heh…right then. Where will he be staying? I think the dungeon's open."
Discord didn't look very pleased with the implications until Vaati replied, "Yes, that will be perfect. Since there's no more need for them, they can be refitted to serve as living quarters."
Discord sighed inaudibly in relief, thankful he wasn't going to be spending his time mostly behind bars. That wouldn't have been very fun at all. The draconequus took in his surroundings, noting how all the tapestries and suits of armor looked so infuriatingly orderly. Noticing the look in Discord's eye, Vaati glared up at him. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Discord. If you so much as move one stone out of place outside your own room, you'll spend the week cleaning every single room in the palace. By yourself. Do NOT test my patience."
"Of course not!" Discord replied, crossing his fingers behind his back. "You have my word that I will be totally compliant!"
In his heart, Vaati knew there would be trouble yet from the draconequus. Nigellas didn't look all too convinced either, but said nothing and headed off to oversee the renovations to the dungeon area. Discord watched the Wizzrobe go, smirking as he pictured the wizard's robes turning into dishcloths. Oh, that was a good idea. He'd have to keep that one in mind for future reference when he got more of his powers back. At that moment, one of the Moblin guards whose current post was the front door approached the mage and snorted in greeting. "Master Vaati," it gruffly declared. "A visitor is here."
Discord raised a bushy eyebrow at the sight of the ugly creature. "Gruesome little fellow, aren't you?"
"Who is it?" Vaati asked with a little more force than necessary in order to divert the guard's attention away from the mouthy chimera. Now was really not a good time for visitors.
"Little yellow and pink chicken horse," it answered with a grunt. "Cowardly little thing shakes at the very sight of me."
"Ah. That would be Fluttershy," Vaati responded. "Alright, bring her here."
The Moblin bowed and stalked off to carry out its orders. "Oh yes, dear little Fluttershy is supposed to help out with my impending reformation," Discord chuckled. "How positively adorable!"
"Give her any trouble either and I'll rip out your snaggletooth and carve out your eyes with it," Vaati warned.
Discord scoffed. "Oh, so boring, Vaati! I mean, really! It's not like I would actually hurt a hair on her timid little head!"
"I wouldn't put it past you."
Before Discord could open his mouth to defend himself, the Moblin reappeared with a shivering Fluttershy in tow. "Master, little chicken horse Fluttershy here to see you."
Vaati frowned. "Will you please stop calling her that? She's a pegasus, not a 'chicken horse'."
"Sorry, sir," the Moblin grunted before taking its leave to return to its post.
Fluttershy visibly brightened when she saw Vaati and Discord. "Hello, Vaati," she greeted. "Hello, Discord."
"Hey, Fluttershy," they both lazily chorused.
"I assume you're here to help me with this dolt's reformation, correct?" Vaati asked.
Fluttershy frowned. "You shouldn't call people names, Vaati."
"I call people what I want. Now, I was about to show Discord his new quarters. After I get him acquainted with his new surroundings, we can discuss how we'll go about reforming him."
"Okay," Fluttershy answered. "Lead the way, I guess."
XXXXXX
After all the bars were removed from the cells, one of the cell doors was replaced with a wooden door to make it feel more like a bedroom than a prison. Vaati led Discord and Fluttershy over to this particular room and opened the door. "This is where you'll be staying, Discord," Vaati explained. "You can redecorate this room as much to your liking. But only this room. Understand?"
Discord rolled his eyes and gave a mock salute. "Aye aye, mon capitan."
"Alright, Fluttershy," Vaati bade. "Let's go."
"Oh, yes!" Discord called behind them as they left. "Have a nice time! Bye-bye, bye-bye…"
Good, they were gone. Now it was time to plot. The Palace of Winds was way overdue for a big storm of chaos, after all, and that was a situation he was honor-bound to rectify.
XXXXXX
Vaati led Fluttershy to his personal study and gentlemanly opened the door for her. "Thank you," she spoke as she entered, with Vaati following behind.
A small table with two chairs had been set out for them, along with a tea kettle and a pair of teacups. Vaati took up one of the chairs and held up the kettle. "Tea?" he offered.
"That would be lovely, thank you," Fluttershy answered as she lay on the other chair's seat, being unable to sit in it like a human.
Vaati poured some tea into her cup before doing the same for himself. He took a moment to sip on it in contentment before beginning. "So do you have any ideas whatsoever on how we're going to do this? Frankly, I don't."
Fluttershy sipped on her tea a bit before responding. "Well, have you at least given it some thought?"
"No," Vaati replied. "I still have my doubts about this even working."
Fluttershy sighed. "Vaati, you're still not giving him a chance. You really need to if this is going to work."
"Fluttershy, I can tell you with a fair deal of confidence that he is not receptive to the idea of truly reforming. Anything he does do will just be part of an act so he can get his powers back."
"He may be thinking that right now, but he might really change his mind. Princess Celestia is counting on both of us, Vaati. We need to give this our best shot."
Vaati took another sip and waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes. I know. Everyone has been telling me the same thing. It's just…hard, is all, to think of him as anything more than the Equestrian counterpart of my world's deadliest enemy."
Fluttershy blinked in curiosity. "Deadliest enemy? How so?"
"Discord is, for all intents and purposes, Equestria's God of Chaos. In my world, we had someone much like him, only worse. He was known as Majora, and spreading chaos was what he did, just like Discord. Only his chaos was blatantly evil in nature, and it resulted in the deaths of countless millions. He tried to wipe out all creatures given life by the Golden Goddesses with his demonic legions, raised the dead with his essence alone to fuel his already-vast armies, and warped the laws of nature for decades to come, causing rabbits to hunt other creatures as fiercely as any wolf pack and locusts to devour flesh instead of crops. It goes without saying that the last time Majora walked the earth was Hyrule's darkest hour. Discord is the same, only somewhat less violent and definitely less powerful."
Fluttershy instinctively shivered at such a morbid description and immediately felt a pang of sympathy for those in Vaati's world who had been forced to live through such a horrific time. "As truly horrible as that sounds…I don't think Discord is that bad. I think he deserves a chance at redemption."
Vaati sighed yet again. "I know. The concept will just take some getting used to, is all. So, do you have any ideas?"
Fluttershy smiled and finished her tea. "Discord does what he does because he's never learned how good it feels to help others instead of be mean to them. We need to teach him that, firstly by making a connection with him. I know you're not exactly comfortable with the idea of making friends with him, so I guess you can leave that part to me. I'll learn more about him and get to know him."
"So, you'll be the one doing the friend-making? Fair enough, what else?"
"First, we'll have him help your monsters out around your palace. That way, we can get him acquainted with the whole idea of helping others out."
"My monsters aren't exactly known for expressing gratitude. I don't think he'll find the experience fulfilling."
"Oh…um, okay, I guess. Then we can have him help out around town and get everypony to start trusting him."
"I don't think anyone could ever trust him as far as they could throw him."
"Vaati…"
Vaati could almost see it starting to form in her stern eyes. He had only heard rumors about its potency, how it had tamed dragons and cowed cockatrices, but Vaati did not want to put the legend of Fluttershy's Stare to the test and immediately backed down. "Alright, alright. I'm kidding!"
Fluttershy's expression softened. "Once he realizes how much more fulfilling it is for him to help ponies than to hurt them, we can get Princess Celestia to give him his magic back."
Vaati rubbed his temple. "I still have my doubts, and they won't go away until they're disproven, but…if you really intend to give him a chance, then I'll help."
Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, Vaati."
Vaati stood up and idly flicked a speck of dust off his cloak. "Well," he sighed unenthusiastically. "Let's get this show on the road."
XXXXXX
The two of them returned to Discord's bedroom to inform him of his duties, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. "What the?!" Vaati gaped.
Strangely enough, his bed was also missing. "You know, I'd be careful if I were you," they suddenly heard from above. "Your faces might freeze like that."
Vaati and Fluttershy looked up to see the bed attached to the ceiling, with the sheets and pillows somehow not falling off. Laying comfortably upside-down on the bed was Discord, gazing at them in bemusement. "What's the matter, Vaati?" he asked.
"Your bed. Is on. The ceiling."
"Now, you did say I could renovate my room to my liking, did you not?" Discord pointed out. "Oh, and the wallpaper changes color and design every so often too. Couldn't decide on just one design, so why not have 'em all?! Took all my remaining magic just to do this, so you know, so at least it got put to a use you could approve of."
Vaati rolled his eyes. "Yes, I suppose I did. It just…caught me off guard is all. Anyways, Fluttershy wants to spend a little personal time with you. I'm going to do…something else while you two get acquainted. I'll be back in an hour or so, and then we're going down to Ponyville. Don't make me regret this."
Vaati then slammed the door shut, leaving Fluttershy and Discord alone in the room. Several minutes went by while the two of them stared uncomfortably at each other. Finally, against all common sense, Fluttershy managed to speak first. "Um…h-hello, Discord. Uh, h-how are you?"
XXXXXX
Vaati spent that entire hour pacing back and forth right outside the dungeon entrance, his mind racing with worry. There were so many ways this could go wrong, and try as he might, he just could not get over his adamant belief that this was doomed to fail. Everyone else seemed willing to give him a chance, and had given him logical explanations as to why he should too, but he just couldn't buy their arguments. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really understand why himself. Was it jealousy? Was he afraid that his friends would start paying more attention to Discord than to him?
Vaati abruptly stopped and shook his head. No, that was stupid.
Once he was certain at least an hour had passed, the sorcerer headed straight for Discord's bedroom and opened the door, somewhat afraid of what he would find. "Everything alright in here?" he asked.
It seemed his worry had been for naught, as it appeared Discord and Fluttershy had currently been deep in conversation. Apparently they were enjoying it too, as they both had smiles on their faces. Their conversation interrupted, they both looked at the sorcerer. "Yes, everything's alright," Fluttershy politely informed him. "Is it time to go into town yet?"
Vaati nodded. "It is, unfortunately. Let's go."
XXXXXX
Ponyville…
The various townsponies all gawked at the chaotic spirit as he, Fluttershy, and Vaati flew down to the town square. Choosing to ignore the stares, Vaati looked down at Fluttershy. "Alright, Fluttershy. The townspeople look petrified. What's to be done?"
"Um…we'll start at the library," Fluttershy answered. "Twilight told me that she's willing to let us organize the library while she and Spike go out for lunch."
"Well, that sounds fair," Vaati replied, heading towards the library.
"Organize the library?" Discord groaned. "But…you can't expect me, the master of chaos, to suffer through such a demeaning task!"
"We can, and you will," Vaati gruffly replied as they reached the library.
The mage rapped his knuckles against the door a few times. After a moment, the door opened, revealing Twilight. "Hi, Vaati!" she greeted with a smile. "Spike's just about ready, so we'll both be out of your hair in a few moments."
As if on cue, they heard Spike call, "Are they here, Twilight?"
"Yeah, Spike," Twilight answered. "Let's go!"
Vaati stepped aside as Twilight and Spike walked out. "Have fun, guys!" Twilight said before heading off.
"It'll be an experience, that's for certain,' Vaati mumbled quietly to himself as he and his entourage entered the library.
Naturally, the library was in a semi-messy state due to Twilight having had studied who-knows-what last night and this morning. It was almost as if Twilight had left this mess specifically so they could have something to do. Discord sighed. "I think it looks fine just like this."
"Now, Discord," Fluttershy admonished. "The first thing to remember about friendship is that you can't always have it your way. Now let's clean all this up so we can be finished by the time Twilight and Spike come back."
Discord grumbled but decided not to object. After all, like it or not, the little butter-colored pegasus was starting to grow on him. And so they set to work, rearranging books on their shelves and making sure everything was orderly. Twilight and Spike returned just as they were finishing up. Noticing how great the place looked, Twilight beamed. "Wow, guys! You did a really good job!"
"You're welcome, Twilight," Fluttershy answered. "We had fun, didn't we, guys?"
Discord and Vaati both grumbled inaudibly. Twilight and Fluttershy shared a chuckle. Boys. "Well, I think you all deserve a reward for your hard work," Twilight said, trotting into the kitchen.
Discord visibly perked at this. "Reward, you say?"
Moments later, Twilight returned with a batch of multi-colored cupcakes aglow with her magic and set them down on a table. "I got these from Pinkie Pie before you came. Dig in!"
"Well, don't mind if I do!" Discord laughed, snatching up a cupcake and tossing it in his mouth.
"Um, Discord, you're supposed to take the paper off first," Fluttershy informed him, but the spirit seemed to be enjoying his treat too much to care.
Vaati devoured his cupcake with similar gusto (but had the good sense to remove the paper first). As much as he disliked Pinkie Pie, one thing he agreed that he enjoyed about her was her cupcakes. As they ate, Vaati asked, "What next, Fluttershy?"
"Well, there are a couple other ponies who looked like they could use some help out there," Twilight offered. "I managed to get Rainbow Dash to let you guys help her clear away the clouds today. I also made sure she wouldn't let her ego get the best of her."
"My animals will need to be fed soon too," Fluttershy added. "That's another thing we can do."
"Pinkie Pie wanted to go to the spa with Rarity today, but the Cakes need a babysitter," Twilight spoke. "She'd love it if you took care of the Cake twins while she hangs out with Rarity."
"That sounds wonderful," Fluttershy replied with a smile. "I'm sure everypony will appreciate our help."
She looked warmly up at Discord. "Ready to go?"
Discord glanced at her before popping another cupcake into his mouth. "Now I'm ready," he said through a mouth full of cupcake.
XXXXXX
Discord had no idea how to feel. Nopony had ever done anything nice for him before, nor offered to be his friend, and despite how badly he resented it, it felt good. So when music abruptly started up as he, Vaati, and Fluttershy lent a helping hand or hoof to each other and to others, he didn't question it. As the time went by in a near-literal montage, Fluttershy began to sing as they tended to her animals.
"You think you'll always be stuck exactly the same,
But that's just because you haven't tried a different game
I can show you the world in a new way
Accept my friendship and let me brighten your day…"
Perhaps it was a byproduct of his chaotic nature. Perhaps Fluttershy had dug far deeper under his skin than he would admit. Maybe he was just in the mood. Whatever the case, Discord joined in.
"What is this feeling I can't seem to hide?
This feeling that I'm more than meets the eye
Is this the dawn of a new me?
Perhaps chaos isn't the only thing I'm meant to be…"
Vaati had a completely dumbfounded look on his face as he observed the two and tried to block it out as they moved on to clearing away clouds. He and Rainbow Dash tried to work, but they were too distracted by the next stanza, sung by both Discord and Fluttershy as they did their part.
"Your friendship feels like magic
And this change feels so drastic
We found something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go
Because your friendship feels like magic
And every second's less tragic
We have something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go…"
Rainbow Dash smiled despite herself. Those two really were too adorable. Seeing her expression made Vaati groan and facepalm. The whole thing seemed absolutely ridiculous to him, but he did not interrupt their duet, even as the next moment, he found them both floating away in a hot-air balloon. Letting out a cry of surprise, he hurried to catch up as Discord sang:
"I'll be there for you
If you'll be there for me
If we can work together
Friends we can forever be…"
As Vaati tailed the balloon with a nonplussed look, Fluttershy sang:
"I'll be there for you
If you'll be there for me
I've been waiting to hear that all along
My friendship is yours to keep…"
A break seemed to happen in the song as the balloon descended to the ground by Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie was waiting, and Discord and Fluttershy stepped off it. Vaati grumbled quietly to himself about how idiotic this spontaneous singing spree was as they relieved Pinkie and set about keeping the Cake twins entertained until she returned from the spa. Discord discovered he had a certain way with toddlers and could make them laugh so many ways with his faces. The sounds of their laughter filled Discord's chest up with an unfamiliar, warm sensation that he just could not will himself to suppress. Vaati hung towards the back, uninterested in dealing with the toddlers. But it was obvious that his conviction was wavering as the song progressed. Discord was actually enjoying himself with Fluttershy, and he simply could not maintain his nasty glare as the background music reached a crescendo, and the two new friends broke out singing again.
"Your friendship feels like magic
And this change feels so drastic
We found something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go
Because your friendship feels like magic
And every second's less tragic
We have something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go…"
And then they found themselves in the middle of the town square again, surrounded by dozens of townsponies whose attention was fixed on them as the final stanza came to pass.
"Your friendship feels like magic
And this change feels so drastic
We found something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go
Because your friendship feels like magic
And every second's less tragic
We have something fantastic
And I don't wanna let it go!"
As the music began to die down, Fluttershy found herself swept off her hooves and pulled into a tight hug by Discord. The assembled crowd burst into a chorus of "awww"s and cheers at the sight. As Discord set Fluttershy down, he said sincerely, "I think I understand how it feels now. I guess friendship really is a wonderful thing to have."
Discord turned to see Vaati staring at him from the crowd with an unreadable expression. His arms were crossed, and his eyes pierced Discord's own. "There you go," Discord grumped. "Friendship is magic. There, I said it. Are you convinced now, mon capitan?"
Vaati quirked an eyebrow but said nothing for several moments. The crowd awaited his response with bated breath. Finally the mage broke his stare and looked huffily off to the side. "You've come a long way, I'll give you that. This whole time I had my doubts. I doubted Fluttershy's determination, and I doubted you. It seems…I was in error. Yes, you have, against all common sense, convinced me, Discord."
"As you have also convinced me."
Everyone gasped in surprise and hurriedly bowed as Princess Celestia unexpectedly came onto the scene, her face aglow with pride. Vaati nodded as Discord stepped forward, bowing dramatically. "Yes, Celestia," he spoke in a melodramatic tone. "They successfully taught me the ever-so-gag-inducing 'magic' of friendship. Are you happy now?"
Celestia smiled. "I'm very proud of all of you. I can definitely sense a big change in Discord. Though I am confident that there are still many things he can learn about friendship and kindness. Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy looked up. "Y-yes, princess?"
"Would you be opposed to Discord living with you for the time being as you teach him all you know about friendship?"
Fluttershy's smile threatened to split her face in half. "Oh, that would be so wonderful! What do you think, Discord?"
Discord rolled his eyes. "Well, I would have a lot more freedom to express myself under your roof than Vaati's little prison cell…that is, if a certain marshmallow-butt princess gives me my magic back."
"Discord!" Fluttershy admonished.
But Celestia didn't seem to mind the insult. "Rest assured, Frankenstallion, I haven't forgotten," she answered with a smug smile as her horn began to glow.
Discord could feel his familiar power coursing through his veins again. Oh, that felt so good. He grinned as he felt his power fully restored. "Yes! Ha ha ha ha! The Master of Chaos is back in business! And to express my gratitude, dear Vaati, allow me to present you with this!"
Discord snapped his fingers, causing a blueberry pie to appear in his lion's paw. He held it down to the wind mage, who cautiously looked at it. The words "Thank you, Licorice-Hair!" were scribed on its surface with purple icing. Vaati blinked in surprise. "Well, Discord…I-I must say, that's rather kind of-!"
SPLAT!
The pie had, without warning, sprang up from inside its tin and made contact with Vaati's face, covering him from head to toe in pie crust and blueberry filling. Discord, as well as the whole crowd, burst into a raucous fit of laughter at the mage's expense. As the sorcerer started to shake with rage and embarrassment, Discord hovered down close to his ear. "Don't feel bad," he advised cheekily. "It's how I show gratitude. You'll miss me."
Vaati wiped the blueberry filling off his face and glared icily at Discord. "Somehow, I find myself doubting that. But for the sake of my dignity and your good health, I accept your…generous gift."
"That wasn't my only one," Discord replied. "You need to have a little more excitement in your life. So there's something waiting for you back at the palace that's sure to give you an interesting night."
Vaati gave him a warning glare. "Oh, don't look at me like that!" Discord griped. "Nothing is out of place in your perfect, orderly little fortress of solitude, I assure you. Now, Fluttershy…" The newly-reformed spirit of chaos held out his paw towards the yellow pegasus. "Shall we get settled in?"
Fluttershy smiled and took his paw in her own hoof. "Yes, let's."
The two of them then flew off towards Fluttershy's home. There were lots of lessons to be learned, fun to be had, and friends to be made, and both of them looked more than ready for the challenges ahead. Watching them leave, Celestia turned towards the wind sorcerer and flashed him a knowing smile. "So, Vaati," she began. "Did you learn anything today about the magic of friendship yourself?"
Vaati gave her a deadpan look in response. "I learned that it can really tire a guy out, and that I don't think I'll ever understand it one-hundred percent. I'm going home, taking a bath, going to bed, and not getting up for the rest of the week. Good day, Princess."
Without another word, Vaati rose up into the sky and floated away, looking completely done with everything and everyone.
It was not until later that he discovered Nigellas shrieking with fury, his robes having taken on the color and texture of dishcloths.
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Hahajaha. Dishclothes.
Hey, I thought it was a great chapter!
Not bad, not bad. Glad to see the story wasn't abandoned. Nice chapter.
i love the song. and i felt that this chapter was just fine.
The musical number was unexpected, but this was a good chapter nonetheless
I don't mind that this one was submitted other than your other chapter, but I understand that you were stressing over making this one
AJ kicking Discord in the nuts...
Huh, what'ta'ya know? Vaati DIDN'T disembowel Discord, he IS making progress after all!
Don't beat yourself up over this chapter, anyone would have had trouble with it to some degree. It was a nice touch to throw in the song, and the little trade of insults between Discord and Celestia was cool.
Also, I believe I speak for the rest of your readers when I say that is one of the best crossover stories I've ever read. Your portrayal of Vaati is fresh yet gritty and real at the same time. His relationships with the other characters are convincing and in character. Vaati's relationship with Twilight is amazing, I love their interactions. Vaati may not be a pony, but he is best character. The other characters are not OOC, and that is refreshing from other fics I've read.
All this groveling to say that I've loved your story here and look forward to more in the future!
Okay it wasn't as good as some of the other chapters but still very good.
STAR TREK REFFERENCE AT LAST, SIRAVANT YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD, HE SAID MON CAPITAN!
See Teddy and M.A Larson THIS is how you make a Discord reformation episode just swap out Vatti with RD and your good
You don't need to feel bad for this chapter.
I think you did as god as the show did, and if you did as god as the show did then it's great.
I feel Vaati wouldn't be so quick to accept the "Magic of Friendship" even then I feel he would do so begrudgingly.
I don't know. He just seems to be a little to... forgiving? I see that you are trying to make him as cynical as possible. But it just doesn't feel natural.
It feels forced. Like it isn't part of his repartee. This is a common mistake among'st authors on this site though.
Now, lets all show Majora the magic of- Is that the moon!?!
3054016
Putting "[" and "]" at the beginning and end of the link makes it a video...
So edit your comment and make it 20% cooler today
"[.youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAgnJDJN4VA.]"
Also Awesome music there bud
lol!!!! (why am i commenting every single one of theses chapters?)
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
3041300
Dammit, I'm 9 weeks to late xD
Bath? But Vaati hates bathes.
Anyway, I'm probably a little late to the party saying this, but there's no need to rush yourself. Too be honest, I could sort of tell you were getting impatient with the past few chapters. Still enjoyable chapters mind you, but I feel like it it wasn't the same. The humor, for example, has become more meta sometimes than it used to be. All the same, I intend to catch up with all the published chapters. You're an awesome writer, keep it up!
that song reminded me of Code Lyoko.....
Dat ending
And then they fucked. After this 'episode' I cannot see them doing anything else.
Also, thank you for correcting the error in the lyrics. It always bugs me when people mix up accept with except. And didnt you mention that Vaati hates baths earlier?
Meh, reforming Discord doesn't really works for me anyway.
I cant belive discord got his balls crushed by applejack
Certainly would've made Spirit Tracks more bearable...
Discord's change to the (mostly) good side seems rather rushed... then again, it's pretty rushed in the ACTUAL episode as well... plus, the ElectroKaplosion song was aaaaawwwdorable
INSERT AUSTIN POWERS REFERENCE HERE
Wait, is this a canon? Not that I care really but if RD is saying like what they are changing the weather or season manually is awkward, then why they feels it awkward that the Everfree Forest does naturally? That is the one of the reason they are afraid of the Everfree in the first place.
Maybe she can say it like it is a common knowledge, but again, she is supposed to accept the concept that manipulating the weather is normal one so why is she saying like it is a bad thing?
...
....
Um...
Okay then. On one hand, this feels like a cop out-reforming Discord through one song? On the other hand, the MLP verse functions according to friendship and song, and logic is kicked to the curb crying, so it fits.
In the end, I'll just roll with it. It's a fairly nice, kind of heartwarming, funny (courtesy of Vaati) story that makes absolutely no sense. Perfect for Discord.
6277030
Nope. During the Hearth's Warming Eve episode, it shows that Pegasi still needed to control the weather back then. This was also before Celestia and Luna, who came after Discord, and I see a distinct lack of chaos in that episode. So, no. It is not canon.
High pitched Discord voice:" She kicked me in the dick... Why? Why did she kick me in the dick?... "
Song had good music, but waaaaaay too much autotune. Alas.
3644867
discoshy is a cancerous meme whose supporters deserve death by drowning. in piss.
Pfft.... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
8712929
May introduce you to the business end of the Mavor?
10128210
That is an artillery cannon meant to take out what I can only assume to be battle ships.
10337905
Close.
So Twilights plan from Canon?
Yet they all have no problem constantly demanding that Vaati do everything their way.