> My Chemistry Teacher. (Fluttercord AU) > by MinionsFanatic > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter I: Fluttershy's Dream > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peep, peep. Peep, peep. Peep, peep. Peep, peep. A little white bunny, who was sleeping nicely on the bed, woke up grumpy because of the alarm clock, pointing at 7 am. How he hated that thing! It's only supposed to wake up his owner not him. And yet, she's still sleeping tight right beside him. The little bunny got up and jumped to the front desk to turn off the alarm. He punched it, kicked it but it wouldn't stop, so he grabbed it and threw it through the window, making it crash. He cringed and turned to see his owner. The young girl, who was sleeping, tossed around a little and then opened one eye. "Mmm. W-what? What was that?" The girl rubbed her eyes a little and opened them. She saw her alarm clock gone and her bunny trying to hide under her pillow. She looked at him and crossed her arms. "Angel. Did you throw my clock out the window, again?" The little bunny got his head off the pillow and looked at her nervous. He nodded his little head. "Angel! This is the fourth this week! I'm gonna have to buy a new one! You know I need it to get up for class." the girl told him. Angel got up and crossed his tiny legs, looking at her frustrated. "Oh please! You only wake up because of me! You don't need an alarm clock to start your day! You only need me!" The girl just rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her head a little. "Sorry if I upset you Angel, but you just can't go around throwing stuff you don't like. You're not a child anymore." said the girl, while getting up of bed. Angel just rolled his eyes, in an annoying way. The young girl went to the bathroom, started the bathtub and picked up her clothes. She took a quick shower, changed into her clothes, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and took her back bag. The little bunny followed her and jumped into her hands. She put him inside his back bag and went out of her room. She went downstairs and made a quick breakfast. Just some orange juice and toasts. She looked at her watch and panicked. It's 7:30 am. "Goodness! I'm gonna be late for class!" she says. She grabbed the rest of her toast, took her keys and went out the door. She lived in a small department, no garden, no park nearby, no near neighbors. Just her and her rabbit. She closed the door and got to her bike. "Good morning Fluttershy!" someone said. The girl turned around and saw a young girl around her age wearing a mailman's uniform approaching. "Oh! Good morning Derpy!" Fluttershy said. "How are you? Seems that you got that part-time mail job you wanted." "Oh yes!" said Derpy. "Isn't it great? The extra money will help me move out of my parent's basement! Who knows? I might actually get a place near college!" "But don't you have classes later with me?" "Oh, no worries. I asked Ms. Luna if I could take half the classes. So I guess I'll only see you in Chemistry and Gym class. But don't worry! I will still give your mail!" "I'm glad to hear that Derpy." Fluttershy said, smiling warmly. Then she checked her watch again. It's 7:40 am. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry Derpy but I have to go! I'm late for class!" she said quickly. "I'll see you later!" Fluttershy got on her bike and left for school. "Fluttershy! Wait! What about your mail?" yells Derpy. "Oh wait. I'll just put it in the mailbox. Duh! Hehehe. I gotta get better at this." Fluttershy was a young, beautiful and kind girl. She wasn't very social as a kid. She barely talked to other children and she was only talkative with her animal friends. She has always loved animals, ever since she was a little girl, and dreamed about becoming a great veterinarian, to travel around the world to save and help poor innocent animals in danger or in need. Being accepted at Canterlot University is truly a privilege since it's the most recognized and advanced college for gifted and talented students. Fluttershy was sure delighted she got in, mostly thanks for her extra credits when she volunteered at campaigns; and she was even more excited when she found out her best friends would attend to the same college. Even though they were all studying different careers, Canterlot University was also known for its large base of general courses for any approach. As Fluttershy was passing by, she stopped for a second right in front of a Pet Store. She looked through the big glass where the little puppies were held and smiled warmly. Even though she loved her bunny pet, she loved puppies too. She saw the green light on and continued her road. 7:55 am. Just in time. She went through the gate of Campus and to the parking spot for bicycles. Other students were there too, some on skates or roller stakes, while others parked their cars on the other side. Fluttershy parked her bicycle quickly, took off her helmet and went straight inside. The hallways were full of students, some of them in their lockers, others just talking, just another day in college. She was so focused on not being late that she didn't notice someone behind her. Angel peeked his head out her back bag and squeaked. Fluttershy turned around and jumped surprised. "Hey, Fluttershy!" "AAHH!! Pinkie!"Fluttershy said nervously. "You almost scare me to death!" "Oops. Sorry Flutters. I'm just soo excited. But also a little nervous. So I'm sooo nervo-excited!" Pinkie said. She was one of Fluttershy's best friends. "What are you excited about?" she asked. "Like you have to ask! She's excited about everything Flutters." someone from afar said. The girls turned and saw a girl with rainbow hair walking toward them, holding a skate on her side. "Not of EVERYthing Dashie. Only on exciting things!" Pinkie replied. "Yeah! So, again. To you, EVERYTHING." the girl said. "Hi Rainbow. How are you?" Fluttershy asked. "Hey, Fluttershy. Just usual. Today I broke my record on morning training!" Rainbow said. "Seven miles in half-an-hour!" "WOW! That's awesome!" Pinkie said. "I know." Rainbow smirked. "You really are the fastest in college Rainbow." Fluttershy said. "I'm sure you'll get in the marathon team this year" "Of course I will! Nothing will stop me now!" Rainbow said. "That's what you said last year!" someone else said. The girls looked behind and saw a country-girl and an elegant-good looking girl walking to them. "Applejack is right darling." the other girl said. "Last year you ran six miles in forty minutes and it wasn't enough. I heard they have extended it to ten miles in an hour!" "It's true." the country-girl said. "Dean Celestia has been changin' a lot of stuff in college, lookin' for new teachers for some classes." "Oh, yeah. I heard that. It's about time they talked about it." Rainbow said. "Heck! Even Gym class doesn't have a teacher yet!" "OH MY GOSH! I almost forgot! THAT'S why I was excited!" Pinkie yelled. " I heard Ms. Luna and Dean Celestia talking about a new teacher. Maybe it'll be a new Gym teacher or a new Chemistry teacher!" "Really? What happened to Mr. Cranky Doodle?" Fluttershy asked. "That old guy?! It was about time he retired." Rainbow said. "Truth be told, he didn't make Chemistry class interestin' at all." Applejack said. "I'm sure ya won't miss the class, would ya Rarity? "Well, not that my career is based on that class specifically, but we do need it if we're ever gonna graduate." Rarity said. "And what about me?!" Rainbow yelled. "How am I gonna become the best soccer player if there's NO Gym class!? I need to train!" "I'm sure Dean Celestia is working on it." Fluttershy said. "But maybe we should ask Twilight. She is working as her assistant for extra credit." Suddenly, their phone alarms sounded at the same time. "Well, we'll have to ask her after class. C'mon yall. We've got to go to class. We're gonna be late." Applejack said. "See y'all later in Chemistry." The girls waved to each other and each one went to their class. Fluttershy grabbed her bag-back and left for class too. "Wonder who this new teacher will be?" she thought. "That class is very important to me if I want to become a veterinarian- I don't need any distractions." > Chapter II: The New Chemistry Teacher > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Have you lost your mind?!" Profesor Luna screamed. Dean Celestia was rubbing her forehead with her fingers. The last thing she needed was her sister complaining. "Would you please calm down?" She asked annoyed. "I haven't even talked to him yet." "Why is he even here in the first place?!" Luna yelled. "You do know this is the same guy who stole our parent's car, right?!" "We were minors! And he didn't steal it! He borrowed the keys and then lost them." Celestia replied. "He told us after." "Yeah! After our parents called the police!" Luna yelled. "Why are you helping him?! He hasn't even talked to us for the last twenty years!" "He and I have been writing to each other for the last five years. From time to time." Celestia said. "We are the only family he has Luna." "Just because we grew up together, doesn't make him part of our family!" Luna replied. "He causes nothing but trouble." "Listen, he is many things but he would never come near this place unless it's for something serious." Celestia. said. "Can we at least listen to what he has to say?" Luna rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She really didn't like this idea, but she trusted her big sister. "Ugh, fine!" Luna replied. "But if he asks for money, I'll kick him out of here myself!" "Fair enough." Celestia said smirking. A knock at the door interrupted the tension. A young girl with glasses entered with a book in her hands. "Um... Dean Celestia" she said. "Yes, Twilight? What is it?" Celestia asked. "Sorry for interrupting. I just wanted to tell you, he is here." Twilight said. Luna groaned a little and crossed her arms, annoyed. Celestia just looked at her sideways and then looked at Twilight gently again. "Thank you, Twilight." she said. "Please, let him come in. And you can go to class now. You're gonna be late. I'll see you on your break." "Thank you, Dean Celestia." Twilight said. She closed the door. "He is punctual? Well, that's first." Luna said. "How do you know it's not a trick of his?" "Let's listen to him first okay?" Celestia said. Luna just rolled her eyes and stood next to her, waiting for him to enter. Suddenly, a knock alerted them. "Come in," Celestia said. The door was opened and who got in only made Luna frown even harder. The man looked around his early forties. He was wearing a brown jacket, with one yellow sleeve, and the other brown. Dark brown pants and with shoes of different colors. One green and the other mustard. His face was thin, he had a goating growing on his chin, and his hair was dark gray with a few his hair wicks on the sides were light blue and cream. His eyes were red as rubies. He was really a mix of different things, and he wouldn't want it any other way. "Well, hello ladies! Long time no see! Last time was... when? Our graduation?" the man asked. "No!" Luna yelled at him. "It was when our father had to pay $1500 to bail you out!" "Oh, yeah. Right." the man said awkwardly. "I forgot about that. I was drunk, wasn't I? "Good morning to you too, Discord. It's... good to see you? I guess." Celestia said. "Hahaha. Good one." said Discord, sarcastically. "You haven't lost your sense of humor, Kay-Kay. That's good." "It's Dean Celestia to you Discord," Celestia replied. "And can you blame me? Of all the places I thought you would have ended up, I never consider you'd come back here." "Yeah well. I didn't have much of a choice." Discord said. " You are literally the only people who would ever give me a chance." "A chance for what?" Luna asked. "Oh yeah! That's the reason I'm here!" Discord said. He closed the door, came in, and sat down on one of the chairs in front of Celestia's desk. "I know things have been... well... "not good" between the three of us." Discord said nervously. "You think?!" Luna yelled. "Luna! Calm down!" Celestia said to her sister. Luna took a deep breath and relaxed. "Yeah. Well, but you should know, I'm NOT the guy I used to be." Discord said seriously. "Or, at least I try not to be." "Wait. Really?" Celestia said. "Believe me. I wouldn't even be here if I wasn't!" Discord replied. "I have really changed a lot of things in my life. I've done some things I'm not proud of, even after the whole incident with your father." Celestia and Luna looked at each other, curious and a little worried. "Things... such as?" Luna asked. "Look, I really don't want to talk about it." Discord said firmly. " Let's just say it wasn't legal, at all. BUT, I've paid for my actions and I want a fresh new start." "Discord, if you're in danger or something like that, we could always..." Celestia started to say. "Celestia look. I appreciate that, but it's really okay." Discord interrupted her. "What I really need is help to get a job." "I... I'm sorry. A what now?" Luna asked. Discord took a deep breath and sighed. "I have come back here to apply for a job... as a teacher," he said. Celestia and Luna just stood there for a minute. Discord looked away and rubbed his arm awkwardly. Then he heard a snicker and looked up to see Luna trying to hold back her laughter. Until she couldn't keep it anymore. "HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Luna laughed. "Y-you!!! Work!!! As a TEACHER?!?! OH, MAN! THIS IS SOOO RICH!!! Isn't this just ironic?! The worst student this college has ever had, wants to become a teacher!?!?! At the same college!!! I-I can't take it!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Discord rolled his eyes and looked Celestia smirking, trying not to laugh too. "Yeah, yeah! Haha! Hilarious!" Discord replied. "Listen, can you help me or not?" Celestia chuckled. "Discord, no offense but, do you even know any university themes to teach?" Celestia asked. Discord smirked. "Well, as a matter of fact, Kay-Kay. I do!" he said. "I happen to love and be an expert in... Chemistry!" Luna stood frozen. "You... you what?" she asked. "Chemistry. I know all about it." Discord answered. "You see, these last fifteen years I really needed money and a living, so I began to read a lot of Chemistry books and to try a lot of experiments. But, for a few years, I used that knowledge for... really messed up stuff. I'm no longer doing that!!! But, the stuff I know is pretty advanced. I figured, if I want to come clean, I could teach it. And what better place to do that than at the same college I went to with my dear friends, and they happen to work here too!?" Celestia looked at him stunned, while Luna had her jaw dropped. "Are you insane?!" Luna yelled. "There's NO way, NO how, we could ever hire an ex-convict like you!!!" "Oh c'mon Lulu. For old times sake?" Discord begged. "I really want to change for the better. I really do! I just need a chance! I know I hurt you two. I'm really sorry! But I really need this! Please?" Luna groaned, crossed her arms and turned her back at him. Celestia stood there, looking at him, thinking about his situation. Then, she crossed her arms too and looked at him seriously. "Discord. Are you really sorry for the things you've done? And are you serious about cleaning up your act and becoming a better person?" she asked him seriously. Discord looked at her in the eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes. I really am." Discord said. "I really messed up my life Celestia. But I want to fix that. I just need a chance." Celestia looked at him for a few seconds and then smiled. "Okay. You're hired." she simply said. Both Discord and Luna were shocked by what she just said. Celestia simply sat back and smiled satisfied. "WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Luna yelled. "Have you gone crazy?!" "You're... you're serious about this?" Discord asked stunned. "Yes. I know since we were kids Discord." Celestia said. "I know when you're lying to me. And you're telling me the truth. Just don't make me regret it." "I promise you, I won't!" Discord said. "Uh! Excuse me! Am I invisible or something?!" Luna yelled again. "Celestia, we can't trust him! He can't change!" "Can you at least wait for me to leave?!" Discord replied. "Celestia! Why are you doing this?" Luna asked her sister. "Because he's still our friend. And if he really wants to change, we should help him with that." Celestia said. "Besides... we need a Chemistry teacher." "Seriously?! Is that what this is?" Luna asked again. "C'mon Lulu. Give me a chance. Please?" Discord said. Luna narrowed her eyes at him and then looked at her sister, who gave her a stern look. She closed her eyes, took a very deep breath, and relaxed a little. "Ugh. Okay fine! You can teach here." Luna said. "But! If you destroy a classroom, disrespect the rules, or even touch a student, YOU'RE OUT! Got it?!" "Look, I promise to behave. But I'll teach my class MY way. Okay?" Discord said. "I promise I'll be careful." "Very well then. Your class is the last one of today. Perfect time to introduce you to your new students." Celestia calmly said. "Just don't be late." "Great! I'll see you there then." Discord said. "Thanks, Kay-Kay!" He stood up and went out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving the sisters arguing some more. Once he was sure he was alone, he took deep breaths. "I can't believe it. I... I actually got the job. I actually did it!" Discord said nervously. "Okay. You can do this. Don't mess this up. Teaching a class, how hard can that be?" > Chapter III: Chaotic Science! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The day went by and before anyone knew it, most of the students around campus either leave to their homes, hang out or went to their respective classes. Fluttershy was feeding the animals that wandered around college, just like she used to do in high school. Some animals even followed her from there, just to see her again. That's how much she loved her dear animals, stray or not. Fluttershy heard the alarm of her phone, indicating her last class of the day. She was surprised by how fast time went by. "Oh, dear. I'm so sorry little friends but I have to go to class." Fluttershy said, feeling a little guilty. The little animals began to complain. "I know, I wish I could stay longer but this is my last class of the day. When it ends, I promise to come here for a while and leave you your snacks," she said. The animals cheered happily. "Angel, you stay here and try to keep them company. I can't take you to the Chemistry lab. It's too risky for you." Fluttershy said her pet. "It's no fair! I don't want to stay here while some new teacher takes over the class!" said Angel. "Oh Angel, don't be like that. You don't even know the teacher yet. I promise to tell you everything once we go home." Fluttershy said. Angel rolled his eyes. Fluttershy got her bag back, stood up, and ran to her class. "So Twilight, what about that new teacher? Please tell me it's a new Gym trainer!" Rainbow asked her friend while playing a game on her phone. "Actually, Rainbow. I think it's gonna be a new Chemistry teacher. I mean, we wouldn't even be in the classroom if we didn't have one." Applejack said. "What do you mean? We have been chilling in the classroom for the last week!" said Rainbow. "Well, today we're gonna learn!" exclaimed Twilight. "I did meet our new Chemistry teacher. I heard him applying for the job with Dean Celestia this morning. I think he got the job." "Ugh! C'mon! I wanted to break my record in 'Minions Rush'!" yelled Rainbow. "And what about the Gym class!? Please someone at least applied or that! I need to continue my soccer practices with a professional!" "Sorry Rainbow. No one until now." said Twilight. Rainbow groaned and cover her face with her hands. "Oh, c'mon Dashie! Cheer up!" Pinkie Pie yelled to her friend from her seat. Rainbow looked up and saw Pinkie going to her from her seat. "It's still exciting! Just think! We'll get to know more about... Chemistry Experiments!" she exclaimed. "How cool is that?!" "...I'm not gonna answer that Pinkie." Rainbow groaned. "Pinkie! Come to your seat! The teacher is going to be here any minute now." Rarity called her from her seat. "Coming!" Pinkie exclaimed. She ran to her seat, just as Fluttershy was entering the classroom. "Oh, dear. I'm not late, am I?" she asked nervously. "The teacher's not here yet, right?" "Fluttershy, honey. Calm down." Applejack said chuckling. "Yer just in time. But ya have to stop bein' late for every class. What do ya do between classes?" "Sorry Applejack. You're right. It's just... I like to spend time with my animal friends in my free time." "Awww! That's cute! But, why don't you spend time with us?" Pinkie then gasped dramatically. "Are we not good enough friends for you anymore!?! WHY?! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!" "NO! No Pinkie! You didn't do anything wrong. You girls are the best friends any girl could ask for!" Fluttershy said, trying to calm her friend down. "Yeah Pinkie! Relax!" Applejack told her. "Yes, darling. We'll always be friends. Never doubt that." Rarity told her. "But Fluttershy, dear, I must admit I am a little curious about why you spend your free time with animals. I mean, I know you love them, but you could spend time with us or... even, maybe, meet a cute guy." "W-what? Oh, n-no. Thanks, Rarity but... I'm fine like this." Fluttershy answered nervously. "Besides, I hang out with you on the weekends." "Fluttershy, ignore them, honey." Applejack said. "You spend your time, however you want. You don't have to do anything you don't want or don't feel ready for." Fluttershy calmed down and smiled warmly at her friend. "Thank you Applejack." Applejack returned the smile. "Hey! What happened to the teacher?" Derpy yelled form behind. Everyone turned to see her. "She's right though. It's been fifteen minutes." Twilight looked at her watch. "If he doesn't show up, I'm gonna have to inform Dean Celestia." "Great! Then, they'll focus on getting an important teacher! Like, oh I don't know, for Gym class!" Rainbow yelled from her seat. Then, just after Rainbow said that the doors opened brutally, startling everyone. A man zoomed into the classroom, carrying his suitcase with some papers falling down. Once he got to the desk, he grabbed on to the table and kept panting, trying to organize all of his fallen papers. Everyone kept staring at him, some confused and others trying not to laugh. After he organized everything in the desk and catch most of his breath, he tried to stand still and saw all the students staring at him, which only made him more nervous. Discord chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his hands together, trying to think of an appropriate way to introduce himself. "Hehehe. Paper, am I right? You want it to be impressed as fast as it can, but it just decides to slow down and made you late for class." he joked. There was nothing but silence in the room. Discord began sweating a little, but then breathed deeply and coughed to clear his throat. "Mmh. Anyway, um. I'm so sorry I'm late. Let's do this again, the right way." Discord said. "Hi everyone. I'm sure you've guessed by now who I am." He turned around, grabbed a chalk-stone and wrote something on the board. "You may call me Professor Discord. I'll be your new Chemistry teacher." Discord said while writing on the board. He turned around again to face the students. "So, um. That's who I am." he said. "Anyone wants to tell me anything about themselves? Any questions?" Derpy raised her hand. "Yes? What is your name?" Discord asked her. "Hi! I'm Derpy. Derpy Doo." she responded. "Do you have a last name?" Some students chuckled and others groaned in annoyance. "Um, no. My name is just Discord." he answered. "I like to keep any other names to myself." They kept staring at him, making him nervous again, until Pinkie Pie laughed a little. "Hahaha! So weird! Cool." she said. "So, are we gonna explode some stuff?" Discord looked at her, blinked, and then laughed. "HAHAHAHAHA! And here I thought I would have dull students!" he said. "What is your name?" "Pinkamina Pie sir! Pinkie for short!" she exclaimed. "Well, Pinkie. I'm glad you asked." he said. "Now, I don't know how your former teacher taught you this class. But, with me, Chemistry will be everything but boring. It'll be all about trying new things and having fun! But there'll be some homework, of course. Unfortunately, those are the rules. " Twilight raised her hand. "Yes?" Discord asked her. "Have you teach Chemistry before? Do you have some references? How much homework do you leave a day?" Twilight asked enthusiastically. "Um, good question. And very good questions." Discord said. "Um, you see. The thing is... this is my first time teaching a class." "Really? You seem pretty confident?" Rainbow said sarcastically. Some students chuckled. Discord raised his eyebrow. "Hehehe, you're funny, in a NOT fun way." he said sarcastically too. "I may not have any experience as a teacher before, but only because... I always wanted to teach here. Because I was a student here too." Some students were shocked and began to mumble about him. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I look like I've never gone to college" Discord said annoyed. "But, I have pretty much of a reputation here, so that's got to say something right? Any more questions about me? I am aware that not many of you like chemistry, but I'll make sure that it turns to your liking by the time you graduate." Some students looked at each other, others ignore him. Then, Fluttershy raises shyly her hand to speak. "Yes?" Discord looks at the girl raising her hand. He stared at her for one second, taking a look at her, and then compose himself quickly. "Uhm, what's your question?" he asked her, clearing his throat. Fluttershy lowered her hand slowly and whimpered a little. Discord looked at her curiously and confused. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Sorry, Profesor Discord. She's just a lil' shy." Applejack told him. "It's okay Flutters. Just ask away." Fluttershy looked at her friend, then looked back at Discord and took a deep breath. "Um, I was just... wondering... and, excuse me for asking this, but... how... old are you?" Fluttershy asked mumbling. "Just... wanted to know... since... y-you said you've never taught before." Discord just there, a little stunned, but then relax and looked ar her calmy. "Well, if you must know, I just turned forty-one," he answered. The whole class stood quietly. Then, a little chuckling came from Rainbow Dash. Some students turned around to see her, others tried to hold on their laughter. "That's funny," she said laughing a little. Discord looked at her with a dead stare. "I wasn't joking. I mean, I love jokes, but this one wasn't," he said. All the students were stunned. "But... but you have a beard." Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, like, a very long one." "It's a goatee. A very good-looking style, for your information." Discord replied, annoyed. "It's really not." Rarity mumbled under her breath. He looked at Fluttershy again and relaxed a bit. "It's okay, my dear. Thanks for asking. What was your name again?" he asked. Fluttershy looked at him nervously but answered back. "Um, my name is... Fluttershy, Professor Discord," she said. "Nice to meet you," he said smiling. Then, he looked at everyone. "Can't wait to meet all of you too. Anyway, now that we're all settled, let's begin. Get out your notebooks and I'll put a video about Basic Experiments. Take notes on which experiment you'd like to try in class and I'll see right to it after class." All the students got out there notebooks excited. Fluttershy took out her pencils and pens, before staring at the teacher again. He sure was unusual and unique. Never met a teacher like him: calm, relax, and easy to understand. But then again, she just met him. One thing was for sure: she was confident that this was gonna be a great class and college year. As long as she was a good student and didn't break any rules; everything will be fine. > Chapter IV: The Teacher's Favorite > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was 8 pm sharp. College's classes were done. All teachers have left. The students have gone to their rooms or houses outside of college. All is left to do is to lock the doors and windows, leaving only the night guards to do their jobs. As everything else was closing, Discord just waved goodbye to a night guard not far from him and kept walking to the bus stop. "Discord, wait!" a voice called him. Discord turned around and saw his old friend coming to him. He grabbed his suitcase firmly and walked to her. "Dean Celestia " he said in a mockery tone. "I was just on my way home. Unless it's against the rules to walk alone to the bus stop." "Funny " she said sarcastically. "I just wanted to ask you how did it go with the class?" "Well, you know me, a rocky start. But it did go well. Some students actually liked my ways of teaching, while others just try to pretend they do. Believe, I know. I invented ways to pretend to pay attention in class." he replied. Celestia just chuckled. "Well, I'm glad things started fine. You have to make sure all of your students understand the topic and help out the ones who might have trouble. And don't be worried about telling me if anyone doesn't behave... as long as it's not you. If so, then worry." she said. "Hehehe, yeah. Good times " he said. "Listen um, thanks for giving me this chance. I really need this job. Actually, it's the only one I could think of." "Discord, I am curious. When you left, you put it very clear that you didn't want to have anything to do with this place. I know how hard it was for you. The classes, the assignments. You didn't even graduate! And you always told us how much you wanted to be free, to go "out there" and do whatever you wanted. You could have gone literally anywhere else than the university you hated most." Celestia said. "So. Why are you really here?" Discord stared at her nervously, sighed deeply, and looked down sad. "After I left, I... made really bad decisions. I wanted to do things the easy way, looking for easy jobs in the wrong places. At first, it was excited you know. Dangerous, reckless, fun. No rules, no responsibilities, no worries. Parties, drinks, and girls anytime I wanted." he said. "But, then I... joined some really bad people. I thought, as long as I get paid and get to do whatever I want, it was fine by me. Unfortunately, I learned the bad way that... not everything was fun and games." Celestia kept quiet, listening. "I was being part of something horrible, and I didn't realize it until I saw it with my own eyes. I felt awful, guilty, and shameful for myself. All that stuff really messed up my mind and my emotions. I was scared and stressed all the time. I've had more panic attacks than you can count with your fingers." Discord said shamefully. " So... not wanting that kind of life anymore, I cut ties with those people. I kicked myself out of that business, and run away as far as possible. I got some help, and... I came to the one and only place I've ever felt save." Celestia stared at him stunned. "At Canterlot University?" "No! You two." he answered. "You and Lu-lu are as close as I've got of a family, Kay-kay. Well, you and Smooze." "Smooze?" Celestia asked. "He's my therapy puppy." he said. "Got him last month. He helps me with my panic attacks. Anyway, the point is Celestia, I just want a fresh new start. And the only place I knew that never gave up on me was here. And, if I have the chance to make a difference in this place and on those student's lives, then... I'm happy to be here. I know it'll be difficult, even boring sometimes. But, I just got a feeling that being here would change my life for the better." Celestia looked at him stunned for a few minutes. Then, she smiled warmly and chuckled. "Now there's the Discord I remember." she said smiling. Discord smiled too. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. And I'm even more sorry that you felt you couldn't call me or Luna for help. You've made mistakes in the past but now I know you've put them behind you. I'm glad I hired you." she said. "I'm glad and thankful too." Discord said. "Well, hope you get home safe. Tomorrow you got your class at noon. Don't be late." Celestia said, as she turned away and walk to her car. "I won't. Promise. Bye Kay-kay." Discord said. "Good-bye Discord." she said from her car. Discord turned around and walked to the bus stop. He sat on the bench and waited for the bus. He missed talking to her. Celestia has always been like a big sister to him. He sure was glad that things between him and the two sisters were going back on track. He just needed time. Discord got out of the bus and looked around his neighborhood. It was decent, for being a lot south from work. Just as the bus took off, he walked to the nearest department in front of the street and took out his keys. As soon as he got in, he went up the stairs and opened the door to his place. And the second he did it; a little puppy jumps towards him and starts barking excitedly. "Woah! Calm down there, buddy. I'm happy to see you too." Discord said smiling while closing the door and coming inside, with the little puppy kept jumping. "Yeah, yeah. I know, you're hungry. Give me a minute to change and I'll make dinner okay?" he said to the puppy. It kept barking excitedly. Discord went to his bedroom, not far from the living room or the kitchen or the bathroom. His apartment may not be big but it was more that he could ask for, after living in places much worse in the past. He left his papers and suitcase on his desk, he changed his work clothes into his pajamas; which were nothing more than an old t-shirt and loose pants; and went to the kitchen to make dinner. There wasn't much: can food like soup or pasta; some rotten fruit but not all of it; bread; a box of milk and puppy food. Discord sighed, looking at his leftovers, and began to prepare his puppy his food. He opened the dog-food can and put it all on his plate. "Here you go Smooze." he said. "Don't worry, now that I got the job, I'll buy more food tomorrow." Smooze barked happily and ate. Discord opened the refrigerator and looked that there was still some Chinese food from yesterday. He grabbed it, went to the couch, turned on the TV, and ate it with a plastic fork. Smooze, after eating all his food, went to the couch too and look at Discord. He looked at him curiously. Smooze gave him the puppy eyes and whimpered a little. Discord's eyes widened and chuckled a little. "Fine. Come here" he said, leaning on. He carried Smooze and put him next to him on the couch. Smooze looked at him happily and licked his cheek. "Thanks, buddy." Discord said, petting his head. "I promise you things will turn out for the better. Someday." Smooze barked and lay next to his owner, falling sleep, while Discord kept eating while watching a trivia show. Fluttershy locked her bike in front of her department, got her keys out, and came inside. Angel heard her and run to the door, greeting her. "Hi, Angel. How was the park?" she said as she left her bag back in her kitchen table. "Well, those strays do have manners. They learned to share the food you left us. They're getting better." Angel said to her. Fluttershy giggled. "I'm glad you're all getting along." she said. "I got a pretty interesting day too." "Interesting? That's never good. What happened?" Angel replied. "Don't worry Angel. Everything is fine." Fluttershy answered. "Tell you what. I'll go change my clothes, make some dinner and I'll tell you everything tonight before bed. Is that fine with you?" "Fine. But be quick. I'm starving!" Angel said with his little arms crossed. Fluttershy went to her room, left her bag back on her desk, and began to change to her pajamas. She couldn't stop thinking about her day at class. The last one with the new teacher was sure interesting. Her whole life, all the teachers of her class were strict, dull, serious, and sometimes scary. But today's teacher was different. He cared about how the students learn, he wanted to make sure they could understand him; since Chemistry is not an easy class; and he sure had a funny way of making an entrance. Fluttershy wondered why he just began to teach. He sure seemed at an age to be working for a long time. So, why did he started so late? She shooked her head, trying to forget those thoughts. She just met her teacher! She had no right to question him or his life. It was none of her business. She finished changing and went to the kitchen again. She found Angel trying to reach out for the jar of cookies up in the table. "Angel!" Fluttershy yelled. "How many times have I told you to not reach for the cookies?! It's too much sugar for you, and you could get hurt!" Angel rolled his eyes. "I told you to be quick! I'm starving!" he yelled at her. "Don't use that tone with me, mister!" Fluttershy replied. "Or else, I'll use...the Stare!" Angel's eyes widened and started trembling a bit. "F-fine. Fine! Just... please... I'm hungry. he said nervously. Fluttershy smiled confidently and began to prepare dinner for herself and her bunny. After a while, both of them were sitting in the table, eating Fluttershy's special salad. "Well, is it good?" she asked her bunny. "Yes. Thank you, I guess." Angel said. "I'm glad." she replied. "Now, about today, it was a good class. We met the new teacher." "Is he a cranky old man? Like the last one?" he asked. "Oh no. He is quite different. He makes the class interesting, for everyone, even Rainbow!" she replied. "And he has a unique way of teaching and explaining the topics. He actually cares that we understand him. I mean, Profesor Cranky Doodle didn't do that! I wonder why he just started teaching? He's a natural at it." "Don't know. Don't care. As long as he is not a jerk to you, I'm fine with that." Angel said while chewing his carrot. "Oh Angel, don't worry. He seems nice. And I'm really starting to enjoy the class more than before. I really need to get good grades if I'm gonna be a great veterinarian." she said. "You'll be an amazing veterinarian, Fluttershy. With great grades or not." Angel sincerely said. "Awww. Thanks, Angel" Fluttershy said, looking at him flattered. They kept eating. After dinner, they went to Fluttershy's room. Angel hoped to his bed, next to Fluttershy's, and fell asleep almost instantly. "Goodnight, Angel." Fluttershy whispered and kissed his head. Fluttershy went to bed but stayed awake writing in her diary. She writes in it about her friends, her animals, her family, everything about her life. That night, she decided to write about her new day with the new teacher. She didn't know why exactly but she was intrigued by him. He was not like any other teacher; not even person for that matter; she's ever met. Suddenly, she started to feel tired, so she locked her diary on her desk and fell sleep; still thinking about her day. The next week went as normal as always. Students went to their classes, they had their break time, some went home, others stayed in the library or just hanged around the college. Discord's Chemistry Class has just ended. Unlike last time, he wasn't late for class. And all the students actually enjoyed today's topic. They told Discord the experiments they wanted to try and he explained to them why it was important to practice them. The students were starting to actually learn Chemistry and began to like it. It turned out he kept his word about making Chemistry fun. After the class ended, Fluttershy and her friends were heading out to eat something at Sugar Cube Corner, but Fluttershy stopped her tracks when she noticed Discord taking out his lunch. "Um, you go ahead girls. I'll be out in a minute." Fluttershy said to her friends. "Okay. We'll see you there." Twilight said. They kept going. Fluttershy took a deep breath and walked toward Discord. He was about to eat his sandwich but then noticed her walking to him. "Oh, hello." Discord said surprised. "It was... Shutterfly, right?" "Um, no. It's...um... Fluttershy." she replied nervously. "Oh! Right! Sorry! I'm not very good with names." Discord said embarrassed. "What can I help you with?" "Oh... no nothing. I just wanted to say... that I really like your classes. I've never seen the rest of the students enthusiastic to learn about Chemistry until you came. I know you've been here only for one week but you already made a difference here. And I really appreciate it since this class is very important to me." Fluttershy said warmly. Discord just stood there, stunned. One student actually likes his ways of teaching! His plan for a fresh new start was working out perfectly already! No one has ever complimented him before, let alone a student. "Oh, well. Thank you very much, my dear. I'm glad you're all enjoying my class." he said nicely. "It is why I became a teacher." "You're welcome." Fluttershy answered. "Anyway, the other reason I wanted to talk to you was that I noticed you've been eating your lunch all alone, here in the classroom. So, I was wondering... only if you wanted of course... if you would like to come to my... tea party club." "Tea party club? What is that?" Discord asked. "Well, I always thought that people should have some time to themselves, just sit down to chat and enjoy some tea with others. So, last year I started a Tea Party Club where everyone, students or teachers, could sit and talk about anything. It's open during our breaks. Of course, some can't make it since we all have different class schedules, but others enjoy it. Sometimes, I go with my friends and sometimes I go alone. It's a nice way to relax and take a breath." Fluttershy explained sweetly. "So, since you're new at Canterlot University, I wondered if you would like to join. You could meet other teachers or students. I could go with you if you'd like." Discord didn't know how to feel. No one has ever offered him anything. He always had to make his way to get things. This might be a good idea; getting to know other teachers and students, and this girl was already kind enough to invite him to be part of something. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Well, Fluttershy. I don't know what to say except, sure. I would love to go to your Tea Party Club." Discord answered. "I mean, how knows? It might be fun." "Oh really? Wonderful!" Fluttershy replied excitedly. "I'm glad. I'll see you there then. It's right around the cafeteria, two rooms ahead, first door to the left." "Perfect. Got it. Thanks again." Discord said. "You're welcome, Profesor Discord." Fluttershy said smiling. "Well, I better go. My friends are waiting for me." "Of course. Enjoy your lunch." he answered as she left the room. Once he was alone, he felt like breathing again. He could not believe a person could be that kind, that selfless. Sure, he saw how Fluttershy was kind to her classmate the last week, but he never thought she would be concerned about him; a teacher. 'She probably does this with every teacher in college.' he thought. But still, he was amazed by her kindness and motivation for learning about Chemistry. Just the fact that he has been making a difference in the little time he's been there, made him very happy. "Maybe I should give this club a chance." Discord said out loud. "And maybe I should give this girl a chance too. She may be my student, but she seems to mean well. Besides, it's just some tea parties. What's wrong with that?" After deciding, he sat down on his chair and started eating his sandwich, thinking about his new favorite student. > Chapter V: Just Friendly Friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- At Sugar Cube Corner, at noon most of the young students hanged out before they went to class. Twilight and Rarity were sitten together, talking about homework and presentations they work together; Rainbow Dash and Applejack were playing with their cell phones a multiplayer game, and Pinkie Pie was trying a "few" samples of every flavor of ice-cream. "So, are you ready for tomorrow's exam Rarity?" Twilight asked her friend. "Mrs. Mallorie said it will be 60% of our mid-year grade. And, even though I know you love literature, it is about the laws of all the states." "Don't worry darling. With your notes and my acting skills, this exam will be like answering an interview." Rarity answered with elegance. "Well, I'm sure you will. We all have different ways of learning after all. I had to read all the books the Letter of Independence and it's history." Twilight said excitedly. "Best 168 hours of my life!" "Man, you really love to read." Rainbow Dash said annoyed while playing on her phone. "And what about ya Rainbow?" Applejack asked while also playing. "Did ya study for Science Communications? It's important if you're gonna travel around the world as a soccer player." "Ugh, that class stinks! I thought it would be more Communication, but it involves boring facts and dumb history too." Rainbow replied. "So, I'll take that as a NO." Applejack said, smirking. "Quit it! I'm trying to beat you!" Rainbow replied. Pinkie came to their desk, with her mouth full of ice-cream flavors. "My Goodness, Pinkie! How much ice-cream did you have?!" Rarity asked. "Not much." Pinkie murmured. Then, she swallowed all the flavors and had a Brain-Freeze. "AAHHHHHH! COLD!!!! SO COLD!!!!" "I told you that'd happen." Twilight said, rolling her eyes. After a few seconds, Pinkie stopped trembling and let out a satisfying sigh. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh... Now, that's better." Pinkie Pie said. "I'm gonna go try again!" "NO!" the girls yelled. "Okay, geez." Pinkie replied. Right after that, Fluttershy came into the shop and spotted her friends. She smiled relieved and walked towards them. "Hi girls. Sorry for taking too long. Hope I didn't keep you waiting." Fluttershy said worriedly. "Don't worry, darling. We would never eat our weekly desserts without you." Rarity said. "Of course, that didn't stop Pinkie into trying every flavor." "Hey, at least I finally know which flavor I want!" Pinkie replied. "It's okay, Pinkie. Let's order up everybody." Fluttershy said. All the girls sat down and order a 'Banana Slipt JUMBO'. As they waited, they started talking about what they've done all week. "And that's why Mrs. Photo Finnish said my new "summer style" project is the best one she has ever seen!" Rarity said excitedly. "Her review will certainly get me into the International Fashion Program next year!" "That's great Rarity! Now, all you need is to publish your project online and you'll be on your way!" Twilight said. "Oh goodness, no! The first rule in the fashion world is to never publish your work halfway done, or else someone else will steal your idea and publish it as their own." Rarity replied. "First I have to finish it and then, after graduation, it'll be published. One should never rush success." "That's what I always say, except I always mean about that and hard-work" Applejack commented proudly. "We get it, AJ. Your life will always be your 'family farm'." Rainbow said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes. "Well, yeah, and to work in the Agriculture Industry." AJ replied. "Don't forget that." "And what about you, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked her friend. "You sure have spent a lot of time with the animals in the pound and the vet. Oh no... Is Angel sick?!" "Oh no. He is just fine. Don't worry, Pinkie." Fluttershy replied calmly. "I've just been going to the vet for extra credit. I have to get as many of those as I can." "Flutters, you have got to stop worrying about that! You're gonna be an awesome veterinarian! It's been your dream ever since we were kids!" Rainbow said to her. "I'm telling you, you GOT this!" The girls agreed, making Fluttershy blush a little. "Thank you, girls. It really means a lot to me." Fluttershy said warmly. "Sure Fluttershy! Besides, we are all gonna get better grades in Chemistry thanks to the new teacher! And that's exactly what you need!" Pinkie said excitedly. "Profesor Discord so funny!" "Yeah, I guess he's alright. I mean, he has an odd way of explaining that science stuff, but I actually get to understand it!" Rainbow said, before groaning. "But his jokes are really bad. I mean, What would you call a clown in jail? Silicon. That's... that's just wrong." "Hehehe, Silicon. That's a good one!" Pinkie laughed. Right at that moment, their order came up, with a glass of water for each one of them. They thanked the barista and started to dig in with their spoons. "Even so, he is really helping all the students to learn about this subject. I've seen the record of the weekly grade, we've all got our grades increased at least 20%!" Twilight said excitedly. "When I told Dean Celestia, Mrs. Luna almost fainted!" "Well, he does have some spirit during class." Applejack said. "If he's that whirlwind at work, I can only imagine the madhouse his daily life must be. Sure makes ya wonder how he acts outside class." "I know, right? I'm so glad that he accepted my invitation to my club." Fluttershy said while drinking her water. Her friends looked at her, frozen and shocked with their eyes widened. Silence surrounded them, making Fluttershy look up to them, with a confused look. "What? Is there something in my mouth?" Fluttershy said, checking her teeth. "I... I'm so sorry, darling. I think we heard you wrong." Rarity said. "Could... could you repeat that last part again, please?" "Oh, I said that I invited Profesor Discord to my Tea-party Club." Fluttershy replied. "And he said yes." "WHAT?!" all of them; except Applejack; yelled, scaring Fluttershy. "Profesor Discord?! To you Tea-party Club?! Are you out of your mind?!" Rainbow yelled. "We hardly know him!" "And he is... well... WEIRD!" Rarity yelled too. "Besides, he just got here as a teacher! Literally, a week ago!" Twilight said. "Jerry the janitor has been wanting to join the club for months! How come he's still NOT a member?!" Pinkie yelled as well. "But... you all just said how great he is as a teacher. And how he's helped us increase our grades. And how well he explains the class!" Fluttershy asked, nervously. "Why... why all of a sudden you talk bad about him?" "Alright y'all, calm down!"Applejack said firmly. "Fluttershy is right! Y'all bein' hypocrites! Profesor Discord is a good teacher, and y'all talking about him like he's a freak!" The other girls looked at each other and looked down shamefully. Applejack took a deep breath and sat close to Fluttershy. "Now, sugarcube. We know that it is in your nature to be kind and compassionate with every living being in the world. And we love you for that. It's who you are and we would never want you to change that." Fluttershy looked up to her and smiled warmly. "But, you've got to be careful with this "kind" acts of yours." AJ replied. "Not everybody may respond nicely. We've talked about some people taking advantage of your sweet attitude. And even though we know you've learned to defend and manage yourself, this is a teacher we're talking about. A much older person. A person with authority here, none of the less." "But... but, I've invited other teachers to the club! And we all get along." Fluttershy said. "We know that." Applejack replied. "But we've known those teachers for a long time. Ever since we started college, you've always gotten along well with them. We know who they are, where they taught before, and their other jobs. We know nothing about Profesor Discord. All we know is that he and Dean Celestia know each other. He might be a good teacher, but we don't know how he is as a person." Fluttershy stood there, worried. Could they be right? Has it been a bad idea to invite Prosefor Discord to her Club? She just wanted to be friendly. She has done this with every new student and teacher in college. It makes them feel welcome and included. She knows better than anyone how feeling like an outcast and being alone must be. She felt that way in high-school and she didn't want anyone to feel that way. If it wasn't because of her friends, she never would have gained the confidence to be herself. If she back down now, she would be betraying the very thing she has always fought for. Fluttershy took a deep breath and looked at her friends. "Listen, girls. I understand that you're all worried. I really do. Years ago, I would have never even considered creating this Club. But I really feel that this is the right thing to do. If I don't invite him as I do with the other teachers, it would make him feel bad and made me feel terrible." Fluttershy said. "You all taught me to defend myself and be confident about my decisions. Now that I've made one, you're telling me to be afraid and worried about what might happen, making me feel insecure again." The girls looked at each other, looking away in embarrassment and looking down feeling guilty. "You're right. We don't know him, yet. That's the whole reason I invited him in the first place, to know who he is and make him feel welcome here like we all do." Fluttershy said calmly. "Who knows? He might surprise us." The girls stood there, thinking about what their friend just said. After a few seconds, Applejack took a deep breath and looked at her. "You're absolutely right, sugarcube." she said warmly. "We're really sorry. We just worried about you. But you've come a long way since high-school, we know you can handle yourself." "Yeah, sorry Flutters. I was just being over-protective like I was in elementary school." Rainbow said too. "Besides, your club has been really amazing for new students and teachers. We shouldn't have tried to stop spreading kindness as you have always done." Twilight said. "You can always count on us, darling. Never forget that." Rarity said. "Yeah! And besides, he might be even funnier when he's not on 'teacher duty'!" Pinkie said. Fluttershy and the girls giggled at her comment. "Thank you, girls. It means a lot to me you feel okay with this. You're one of the most important people in my life." she said, kindly. "And you are important to us, Fluttershy." Twilight said. The girls at each other smiled warmly and continued to enjoy their giant dessert. Usually, at 5 pm, Discord would be at his classroom, going over the next assignments for the students. But, since it was Friday, he had three hours to do anything else but be in the classroom, since it was being clean. Discord wasn't sure where to go. Even though he studied in that college, everything was different since last time he was there, not to mention he's only been teaching there for a week. He didn't know anybody or anyplace to just sit down and pass the time. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice a certain flier in the wall as he was walking by the cafeteria. "Tea Party Club. Every Friday. From 8 am to 6 pm.". Discord's eyes widened. "Oh, dang it! That is today!" Discord exclaimed looking at the flyer. He looked at his hand watch, indicating it was 5:05 pm. He could make it! He tried to remember what that girl told him. "Right around the cafeteria, two rooms ahead, first door to the left. Got it!" Discord said. He started to look around for the Club's room. Not a lot of people were walking around the cafeteria since at the hour most students left or had work to do. Discord kept walking around until he found a door with the same flyer. The room didn't look so big, just a simple room on the corner of the hallway. He stared at it for a few seconds and then nervously knocked on the door. "Comin! It's open!" a sweet voice said from inside. Discord opened the door and was shocked to see the inside of the room. There was a medium but soft green sofa; some comfortable furniture; a tea table with cookies and muffins on it; a jar of juice and water; some pillows with decorating stamps and a little desk with a little boom box on it and some papers. A little further, there was a closet, and next to it, another door. Discord couldn't believe it. This room was like a living room, with a really welcome vibe. He was so stunned by the room, that he didn't even hear the other door opening. He turned his head to the side and saw the new favorite student coming into the room. Fluttershy looked up and smiled widely to see her new teacher. "Oh! Profesor Discord! Welcome! I'm so glad you decided to come." she said. "I was just cleaning some things, but I'm happy you're free at this time. Not a lot of people come around 5 pm." "Yes. I...um... I just remembered about this Club you told me about." Discord said, still looking around the room. "Um, I'm sorry but, how... how did you make this? The room? The stuff? How... Did Celestia let you do this?!" "Oh, yes. When I first arrived here, with the help of my friends, I talked to Dean Celestia about having a Tea Party Club and she was delighted with the idea." Fluttershy replied. "She was more than willing to help me with donations for all these things, to make the club comfortable for everyone." "Woah. I would have never imagined it. This was just an empty storage room when I was studying here. Now, it looks amazing!" Discord said. "Oh, T-thank you." Fluttershy said, blushing a little and smiling. Discord also smiled, looking at her. Then, he cleared his throat, remembering the reason he was there. "So, uh..." Discord said, composing himself. "Where is everybody else? I thought this place was for people to get to 'sit down and talk about their day'." Fluttershy giggled at his mocking tone. "Well, there is a schedule for every person that comes in to talk and have tea," Fluttershy explained. "Since some teachers and students have different classes, the room is open to every one according to their available hours. On Fridays, it's mostly empty after 3 pm. And since it closes at 6 pm, I mostly spend my time cleaning everything for Monday." "And... you do this. By yourself?" Discord asked, surprised by her commitment. "Well, yes. Someone has to. And I love the fact that people enjoy coming here." she replied. "It's the reason I created this club." "That... that is incredible." he said amazed. "R-really?" she asked, fluttered. "Of course! I mean, this place is really calming and relaxing! I wish we had this idea when I was studying here!" Discord exclaimed. "Just to think all the classes I would have missed!" Fluttershy chuckled at his "not-so" joke. "T-thank you, Profesor Discord," she said. She cleared her throat and looked at him curiously. "So, um. would you like a cup of tea?" "Oh, it's happening? That whole 'tea party club" thing?" he asked, joking. "W-well, I mean. Only if you want to. I understand if you want to leave..." she said sadly. "No, no! I was just joking around! " he said, nervously. "I.. I would love a cup of tea. I haven't drink it in a while, actually." "R-really? But... but I thought you'd be... disappointed. Since, you know, no one is here." Fluttershy said shyly. "You're here..." Discord replied, a little shy. "Besides, you said it so yourself. This club is a chance for me to get to know people." "I did say that," she said. "But, wouldn't you prefer... I mean... wouldn't it be best... if you tried with another teacher first?" "Last time I recall, teachers are boring. Except me, of course." Discord said. "Besides, who best to help me than my favorite student?" Fluttershy blushed. "Am... am I really... your favorite student?" she asked, still blushing. Discord realized what he said and cleared his throat quickly. "Um... well. Yeah. You're the only student that asked me to join a club. That says something, right?" he answered, with an awkward laugh. Fluttershy looked at him and then smiled warmly. She walked to the closet, opened it, and took out a tea set. She walked to and sat down on the sofa, patting the seat next to her, looking at him. Discord stood stunned for a few seconds, slowly approached the sofa, and sat down next to her. She took the teapot and served tea in a cup. "Sugarcube?" she asked sweetly. Discord looked at her for a few seconds. Her friendly smile, her sweet voice, her calming tone. No one has ever shown hi this amount of kindness to him before. He smiled warmly back at her. "Yes, please. Thank you," he replied warmly. "Fluttershy, right?" She looked at him, surprised but also glad that he remembered her name. "Yes. That's right," she said, smiling. Then, she got back preparing the tea. As she was serving it, Discord felt something he hasn't felt in a long time: Peace. Maybe this Tea Party Club wasn't such a weird idea. He actually liked the company of someone he could talk to, besides his dog. Smooze was a great listener but didn't give to much to talk back. And even though he was 'okay' with Celestia and Luna now, there wasn't much to talk about that wouldn't make him cringe about his past actions. But now, a new job, a new chance, and even maybe a new friend. Sure, he was still a teacher, but that didn't mean they couldn't hang out and talk about things. There was nothing weird about that; that's why this club is for! As they were drinking their tea, both Discord and Fluttershy felt that this was the beginning of an unusual and beautiful friendship. > Chapter VI: "He's my teacher!" / "She's my student!" > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- That tea party was the first of so many. Every Friday, at 3 pm, Discord would finish his class and go to the Club's room to meet Fluttershy for their weekly tea parties; and sometimes they would talk after her Chemistry classes with him were done. Since just one hour to talk wasn't enough, they both agreed to meet at 3 pm so they could have more time to chat about each other's days. They spent hours talking about simple things; like which classes they liked more, how good was the cafeteria food; their pets and many other things. Discord also sometimes went to the club when other students and teachers were there too. It helped him practice his people skills, how to begin a conversation, to always listen to what the other had to say. Even though he spent most of his life going place by place in his youth, he never really had a real conversation with anyone in a really long time. He would never admit it but, he missed it. But, as much as he liked getting to know people at college better, he always preferred to talk with Fluttershy, alone. Just the two of them, chatting and laughing about whatever they talked about. It wasn't just about the peace he felt talking to her, but the way the did it. He felt like he could tell her anything, that he could trust her but most importantly, that she actually trusted him. When they got together to talk, they felt like they've been friends their whole lives, like they have always known each other. Discord knew it was crazy since he was just her teacher, but he really felt that, for the first time in his life, he had a real friend. Back when he was young, he wasn't much of a reliable person, especially to Celestia and Luna. He wasn't a people's person. But with Fluttershy, he didn't feel like a disgrace, like a disappointment or like a fraud. He didn't even feel like a teacher; he felt like himself. And he had not felt that way in a really long time. They were just in the middle of their seventh tea party, just talking about their day and funny but also embarrassing moments. They still had an hour until the club was closed, but for them, time just flew by. Fluttershy was laughing non-stop from Discord's jokes and pranks he pulled off when he was a student. "And then," Discord said laughing. "When he got up again, his pants were down!" Fluttershy was laughing uncontrollably with Discord trying to cover his mouth. "Hahahahaha! Oh my!" she said. "Did he figured out it was you?!" "He almost didn't! That tattle-tale Luna told him it was me after we all stopped laughing," he said chuckling. "That old Starswirl really needed to light up! That's how I got my first strike in college." "Well, he was the Dean back then," Fluttershy said chuckling. "I still can't believe you didn't get expelled!" "Hehehe, well. I got my tricks." Discord said smugly. Fluttershy giggled, covering her mouth. "I've never imagined you could cause such mischief!" she said. "Oh, trust me, my dear. You'd be surprised," he said in a sassy tone, drinking a cup of tea. Fluttershy couldn't help but blush a little about that comment. He has been referring to her or calling her "my dear" ever since they first talked. At first, she thought he told that to every girl student, but she figured he only called her; and even though it was a little odd; she actually liked it. It was like a little nickname she had for their tea parties. She has talked and had chats with every teacher in college ever since she started it five years ago, but she had never had a friendship with a teacher like she had with Mr. Discord. She really enjoyed having these tea parties, but she enjoyed them, even more, when she spent them only with him. Suddenly, an alarm came from Fluttershy's phone. She took her bag-back and looked at it. It was a message from her mom. She smiled warmly. "You ok?" Discord asked. "Oh, yes. It's just a message from my mom," Fluttershy said. "We haven't seen each other for almost two months. I know it might not sound like a lot of time but, we're really close. With my dad too." "Oh, I see. Is everything okay?" he asked concerned. "Oh, yes. Don't worry. She's just saying that she and dad miss me, that my brother is gonna visit them next week and they can't wait to see me after the semester ends." she explained. "Ah, you have a brother?" Discord asked. "Yes. His name is Zephyr. He finished high school two years ago." she said. "Oh, and where is he studying?" he asked. "He's... not. He's traveling through the country, finding his 'calling'." Fluttershy said, making quotes with her fingers. "Oh ho ho. I know that tone anywhere. Especially the quote fingers," Discord said chuckling. "I'm assuming your brother is... how do you call it?... finding himself?" "I love my brother, but he has never tried to do anything by himself. I'm just worried." Fluttershy said concerned. "Trust me, my dear. If anyone knows how it feels not knowing what to do with your life, is me." Discord said seriously. "You may not like this, but I think this 'finding himself' trip might actually help him. We are all lost at some point in our lives." "Really?" Fluttershy said confused. "I've never felt lost before. I've always known what I want in my life." "Well, you're one of the lucky ones. Maybe, someday you will," Discord said calmly. "But about your brother, I wouldn't worry. Some people just need to... get away from everything to find themselves. And yes, I didn't lose the irony on that part." Fluttershy chuckled a little as she looked at him and then smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mr. Discord," she said smiling. "I feel better now." "I'm glad." he smiled at her. Fluttershy returned the smile and then looked down, thinking about how Discord knew almost everything about her, but she didn't know a lot about him. Sure, he has told her his pranks and experiences in college but nothing before that. Not that she wants to be intrusive but it would be nice to know how he ended up teaching in his old college. That wasn't just a coincidence. And that talk about leaving everything you know behind to find yourself? It was clear he wanted or at least needed to talk about it. Maybe now it was time to bring up the topic. So, taking a deep breath, she looked up at him again. "Um, Mr. Discord. I was wondering if I could ask you something," she asked shyly. "Sure, my dear. What is it?" Discord asked as he drank his tea. "Um... I just wanted to know... What did you do before coming back to your old college?" she asked nervously. Discord's eyes widened and he spitted his drink, shocked. He started coughing, trying to catch his breath. Fluttershy gasped, horrified and guilty. "Oh My Goodness! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to... Um... l-let me help you with that" she yelled. She got up and got some napkins, while Discord continued coughing. Once he got cleaned up and calmed down, he cleared his throat and rubbed his hands. "Um... why do... why do you ask that?" Discord asked nervously. "Uh, well. I..." Fluttershy tried to think of an excuse but it was too late now. She has asked a personal question and she can not just let it lie there as nothing happened. She took a deep breath and looked at him. "I asked that because I've been wondering the reason you would start teaching just now after all that time you finished college. You are a great teacher, you explain Chemistry like no-one I've ever known and you seem to have enjoyed your time in this college back then," she explained calmly. "I just wanted to know, why you just started working here when you could have started years ago." Discord looked at her stunned for a minute, then he looked down with a sad look on his face and took a breath. Fluttershy got worried that she may have gone too far. Before she could apologize or even say something, Discord sighed deeply and looked away to the side. "Because... I didn't graduate from college," he said shutting his eyes in shame. Fluttershy was in silence with her eyes widened. She was too stunned to say anything. She would have never imagined that would've been the reason. She didn't know what to say or do, as guilt was starting to take over her. "Did... did you fail the classes?" she asked shyly. Discord opened his eyes but kept looking away, clutching his shoulders in embarrassment. "No." Discord said, shaking his head a little. "I almost did. But, I didn't. I... I dropped out. Just weeks before finals." There was silence in the room. Fluttershy felt horrible. She never should have pushed to talk about it like that. If he didn't bring it up it was for a good reason. She took a quiet deep breath and put her hand in his shoulder. He continued to look away. "Want to talk about it?" she asked kindly. "Not really," he said. "But... I kinda have to now." "No you don't. I'm sorry for bringing it up and for upsetting you. You don't have to tell me." Discord turned around and looked at her a little sad. He knew she didn't mean to make him feel bad. She deserved to know at least something about him. They have been talking these last three weeks after all. They were friends. So, he took another breath and turned around completely, looking at her. "It's okay. And, yes I do," he said. "It's important you know this." Fluttershy put her cellphone down and put her hands on her lap, waiting for him. "It's true I studied here. And it's true I was, and still am, a troublemaker. But I actually got grades decent enough to graduate with honors. I wasn't gonna specialize in anything, I was just told it was important to have a college degree to have a 'good future' and stuff like that. But, one day, I was just tired of everyone telling me what to do with my life and how I needed to act like a 'grown-up'. So, just days before the finals exams, I just abandoned my studies and left town, with no intentions to return ever again," he told her. "I know now it wasn't right to leave like that, not even saying good-bye to Celestia and Luna. We were friends way before all of that. But... I just didn't like what my life was becoming, so I left everything I knew and went to 'find myself'. Kinda like your brother is doing right now." Fluttershy chuckled a little about his mocking tone in that last part, before listening to him again. "So, that's why I didn't come back before. I was just a little lost," Discord said looking down. "But...not anymore." He looked up at her and smiled. "I got help, got a place to live, got a job, and now... I got a friend." Fluttershy's eyes widened a little but then she smiled back warmly. "Well, I'm glad," she said cheerfully. "And... I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable talking about this." "It's alright my dear," he replied calmly. "You were just curious. And you had every right to be. You've told me things about yourself, it's only fair I do the same." "... Thank you for telling me this. And I promise not to tell anyone if you don't want me to." she said. "Yeah... it would save me a complaint from Luna." Discord said joking. Fluttershy giggled. "Don't worry. You can count on me. I'm so glad we're friends, Discord." Fluttershy said, taking a sip of her cup, closing her eyes enjoying the flavor. Discord looked at her stunned for a second. She didn't seem to have noticed but that was the first time she actually called him by his name. He then smiled warmly still staring at her while drinking her tea. "Yeah... me too," he said warmly. He did sure enjoyed their Friday teas, but what he enjoyed the most was spending time with her, talking to her, listening to her, laughing with her, and hearing her laugh. He was so glad to have taken this job, and got the chance to meet her. He liked teaching to his other students, but he liked hanging out with Fluttershy more. Every time the talked, he felt his heartbeat twice as normal, his cheeks blushed and a wide smile on his face. After that realization, Discord stood there shocked by those things he was describing. It was almost as if, he had... feelings for this girl. NO! It was impossible! He's not even the romantic guy! How could he know for sure he was feeling... that?! Maybe he just felt like that because she was very kind to him, nothing else. Right? It could be just that. Discord didn't know what to think, but he was sure he would have to deal with this eventually, better soon than later. Discord was tired of a long week. Since he's been staying longer for his tea parties, he has got later at home for the last weeks, making Smooze miss him even more. That's why he was so happy when Discord came in the door. He jumped non-stop as his master walked into the apartment. He ran to his plate on the floor and barked again, asking for food. But then, he noticed him going straight to the sofa and sat down, sighing deeply. Confused, he went to him and nudged his feet. Discord looked down at him. "Sorry buddy. I'm just a little off," he said. "I... I've been feeling weird lately. Well, weirder than usual, you know. I think I might need some of our 'therapy' sessions. What do you say?" Smooze looked at him and barked again. "Right. After we eat." He got up and served him his food in his bowl. Smooze enjoyed it while Discord went to his room to change into his cheap pajamas. He heard Smooze barking at his bedroom door and turned to see him. "Hehe. You ready for the session?" he asked jokingly. Smooze barked. He went to him and jumped into his bed. "Okay... Give me a sec." Discord opened his night table's drawer and find a stress ball, but before he could close the drawer, he saw a dusty book. Curious, he grabbed it and looked at it, widening his eyes. 'How to deal with Anxiety Attacks?' Discord sighed and looked down. Seeing that book made him remember how much he struggled to control his anxiety attacks back then. After what he saw, it was not a surprise to him he wouldn't be the same again. His mind started to go away to those times and he felt like he was in that dark and cold room again. He closed his eyes trying to throw away those sounds, scream, and voices in his head while grabbing hardly the book, but they only grew louder. Along with those noises, he heard a cold-hearted and sly laugh far away. No! Not him! Not again! He started to have trouble breathing and he was at the verge of tears until he felt Smooze's tongue licking his cheek. He gasped, opened his eyes, and looked around him, finding himself again in his room. He began to try to catch his breath and then sighed deeply. "It... it happened again..." he said trembling. Smooze looked at him concerned. He knew what just happened. That was what he was trained for: trouble breathing, trembling body, watery eyes, and anguish vibe. He saw it before in his master, and he has seen it again, after two years, it happened again. Trying to cheer him up, he went to him and lick his hand. Discord looked at him and smiled. "Thanks buddy. I'm okay. Really," he said calmly. "How about that session now, huh?" Smooze barked and sit beside him as he put the book again in his drawer and grabbed tightly his stress ball. "Well, let's start." Fluttershy has just finished her homework, which was perfect at the time because she was lost in her thoughts right at the moment. She couldn't stop thinking about how she made Discord open up to her like that by telling her such secret about him. Though she was glad he trusted her with that, she still felt a little guilty for insisting too much. She just wanted to get to know him better, not as a teacher, but as a person. She really loved his stories in college and his hobbies, but she still felt like there was something bothering him. If only she knew so she could help him. But she has already done too much. She was so distracted in her thoughts that she didn't notice Angel pulling from her bedsheets, trying to get on the bed with her. She sat on the edge and looked down at him. "Oh, Angel. I'm sorry. I didn't notice you." "Yeah, no kidding! You got your head up in the clouds!" Angel said crossing his arms. "Are you gonna help me get up or not?" Fluttershy rolled her eyes playfully and put him up next to her. He just stayed there, looking at her still crossing his arms. She looked at him, confused. "Alright. Who is he?" Fluttershy's eyes widened. "W-what?! What are y-you talking about?" she asked nervously. "Oh, please! You can't fool me!" he said annoyed. He pointed at her. "You come home with a wide smile on your face; you finished your homework an hour later than usual; humming songs while cooking, and worst of all; you haven't played with me all week! Something is in your mind. Or should I say... someone?!" Fluttershy stood still, stunned about how she's been acting. Has she really been day-dreaming? She didn't even notice! "So. Spill the beans! What's going on with you?" Angel said. Fluttershy started sweating a little, trying to avoid eye contact, but she knew how determined and stubborn Angel was. He wasn't going to let that go. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay. I will tell you. But you have to promise me you won't freak out!" she said. "Yeah... we both know that's not gonna happen." he said smugly. "I'm waiting." Fluttershy bit her lip, feeling nervous. "Okay... It's not what you think!" she said. "I've just been distracted thinking about... Mr. Discord... my Chemistry teacher." Angel stood there with his little eyes widened, shocked. "WHAT?! YOU'VE BEEN DAY-DREAMING ABOUT YOUR TEACHER?!" he yelled throwing his little arms around. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" "I told you! It's NOT what you think! I'm just... curious about him, that's all," she said. "Oh really? And why is that? Is he the only teacher in your college?" he asked. "No... but you know we talk sometimes after class and on Fridays," she said. Then she looked to the side, smiling shyly. "Besides; he's funny, intelligent, gentle, selfless, charming, and... kinda cute." "ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?!" Angel yelled, trying to get her attention. Fluttershy snapped out of it and looked at him again, embarrassed. Her whole face turned red tried to look away so he wouldn't notice, but he did. "I...I-I... I don't know what's happening to me, Angel! I know he's my teacher but... he's also my friend and... I... I care about him sure, but... I don't know why I feel this way!" she said while hugging her legs. Angel rolled his eyes. "Alright, I think I know what's going on." he said rubbing his little forehead. "You... you do?" she asked curiously. "It's obvious you're going through some 'high-school' cliché like every other girl. You're having a little crush on your teacher. It's completely normal. You never had a crush on anyone in high-school; your words not mine; so it's happening now in college, with this teacher you're really close to." he explained calmed. "But don't worry. It would pass. You'll get over it in no time. And once you do, you better play with me again!" Fluttershy just stood there looking at him. How could he explain it so clearly and sure if she doesn't even know how she feels? "Um... Angel. I... I don't think it works that way." she said unsure. "Of course it does! Trust me, you'll be over this whole 'feeling thing' in a few days. Just try no to think about this old guy for now on and it'll be over soon." Angel said annoyed while getting off the bed. "He's not old!" "Whatever! Just forget about him for one night and you'll be fine!" he said laying in his tiny bed. "Tomorrow I'd better get my breakfast salad with extra cherries! Goodnight!" Fluttershy just rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She loved Angel but sometimes, he could be a real jerk. He's just pampered. He really needed to learn not everything was about him every time. She lay down on her bed, looking to the side, thinking about what her bunny said. Could it be what she is feeling? Could she be having a crush on her teacher? She couldn't! He wasn't only her teacher, he was her friend. These feelings could ruin everything! She wasn't even sure what she was feeling. Maybe she was just touched by how Discord treated her. So kind and gentlemanly. No boy has ever talked to her that sweet before or care about her feelings and thoughts like he did. Then again, Discord wasn't a boy. He was a grown man, a kind and charming man. Who loved listening to her and made her laugh. Fluttershy felt her face hot again. She realized what she was thinking and she covered herself with the bed-sheets. "Oh, I really need to stop feeling this way," she said calming herself down. "He's my teacher! We could get into so much trouble. But... I kinda like feeling this way." She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep, trying not to think about her dear friend. "And that's... pretty much it. I feel like I'm losing my mind Smooze. What should I do?" Discord was lying in his bed upside down, still pressing his stress ball, while Smooze was on top of him looking at him. They've spent the next three hours talking about Discord's weird feelings around Fluttershy and what he thinks he should do about it. Smooze looked at him and barked. Discord's eyes widened and sat on the bed with his legs crossed. "WHAT?! Are you crazy?!" he yelled. "I can't tell her! Or Celestia. Or Luna. Or anyone for that matter! I could get fired or worse!" Smooze moved his head to the side and looked at him confused. Discord sighed closing his eyes. "Besides... this thing will probably go away soon. It's not worth the risk," he said calmly. "I'm sure it's just my self-esteem hitting me. After all, no-one has ever been this kind to me. And they certainly weren't as sweet, gentle, compassionate,... and... beautiful as..." Discord's eyes widened shocked, realizing what he was saying. He looked at Smooze, who was panting with his tongue out. "What are you looking at?!" he yelled covering his face, embarrassed. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just... sometimes I wish you could talk back to me and give me advice but... you can't," he said. "And the only one I trust enough to talk about this... is the same girl I can't tell this stuff about." Smooze sensed stress in his master and sit on his lap, whimpering. Discord looked down and smiled kindly. "It's okay buddy. I wouldn't change you for anything in the world," he said and then hugged him. "I'm glad I have you with me, even though you don't understand me." Smooze whimpered happily. Discord put him on the other side of the bed and got under his sheets. He turned off the lamp and grabbed his old phone. He saw a picture of him and Fluttershy he took on their third tea party. He was giving her bunny ears with his fingers and she was trying to cover her mouth from laughter. He sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do Smooze. I don't know why I'm feeling this way, but I have to do something about it. I could lose my job if this goes on, but more importantly it could ruin our friendship. And that's the last thing I want." Discord said nostalgically. He put the phone down, lay down, and turned to see Smooze, who was already sleeping. He sighed and looked up the ceiling. "I'll just ignore this for now. I mean, there's nothing much I can do about it right now," he said. "After all, she is my student. He sighed one last time, before closing his eyes and falling asleep. > Chapter VII: A new teacher in town > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday morning. For some, it is a new beginning, a new chance in life to make things right. For others is the beginning of another miserable week, full of pain, failure, and meaningless. But, there are a few people who see Monday just as any ordinary day, nothing special, just another job-day, something we all go through every seven days. That is exactly what the man one the sidewalk was thinking, as he asked for a taxi. After a few minutes, one stopped and the man got in. "Good morning, sir," the taxi driver said cheerfully. "Where are you off too?" The man didn't say anything for a few seconds. He reached out a piece of paper out of his jacket's pocket and showed it to the taxi driver. He grabbed it and looked at it. "Can... Canterlo... Oh, sorry. Canterlot University," he said. "Oh yeah! I know where that is! Thirty-minutes from here! You got it, pal." He returned the pice of paper to the man and started the car. As he drove, the man was staring at the window. He was wearing an all-black leather jacket, a gray shirt, dark gray jeans, dark brown boots, and had a dark blue suitcase with him. He kept staring at the window of the car, creeping a little bit out the driver. He tried to do some small talk. "So, Canterolt University. That's really expensive and popular college. I have a nephew going there, actually. Well, he's not really my nephew. He's my girlfriend's brother's son. Hoping he'll be my nephew soon, you know what I mean," he said cheerfully but also nervous. "What about you? Any friends or relatives there?" The man on the back seat, turned his head to see the driver and then stared out the window again. "I'm applying to teach there." His voice gave the driver chills. So dark but at the same time soft. "Oh... cool! That's great! The world needs more teachers! Why did you choose this one, though?" The man just took out of his jean pocket a piece of an old new's paper. It had a picture of an old factory burned to the ground, with fire trucks and police cars around it. 'Old transportation factory; used as a decoy of drug dealing and gambling business; is burned to the ground after suspects tried to destroy the evidence. Witnesses say it was an anonymous caller who warned the police. Principal subject, head of the operation, still missing.' The man wrinkled the paper with his fist, taking a deep breath and then put it back in his pocket, sighing deeply. "An old friend works there too." Discord loved teaching Chemistry. He never thought he would be enjoying something he used to make fun of when he was a student. He used to hate the exams, the essays, the practice lectures, even pair presentation. But the only thing he liked was the lab class. That's why he was so excited to show all of his students what he has planned for today's lab class! "Alright, everyone! Hold on to your lab coats and your goggles, 'cause we're gonna go crazy today!" he said excitedly. Everyone was paired up with the lab partner. Rainbow Dash with Pinkie, Applejack with Rarity, and Twilight with Fluttershy. Everyone else had their own partner. Today was the first day of making experiments with chemicals. "Um, Profesor Discord. I know you're aware of the security protocols in case of a chemical emergency, but are you sure it's safe to try a minimal explosion in our first lab class?" Twilight asked unsurely, wearing her goggles. "I mean, I have studied chemical reactions at home but I've never actually done experiment #81 in a closed room." "Yeah, I mean, I only understood a little of what Twilight just said but don't this kind of stuff kinda like, you know, blow up?" Rainbow Dash said putting herself behind Applejack, using her as a human shield. The country girl stared at her. "Don't worry, ladies. I have experience doing this kind of experiment," he said while putting different lab glass on his desk. "Actually, this was my very first explosion. It didn't do anything though since I got the wrong measurements, BUT today I will finally get it right!". "So... ya never has done this before?" Applejack said, holding Rainbow tight and baking up. "Well, no. No, I haven't," Discord confessed chuckling. "But, this will be a great demonstration for all of you! Juts... back away a little more." All the students backed up three feet away from Discord's desk. Fluttershy looked at him, a little worried about what was gonna happen to him. She knew he was responsible and capable of doing this, but after knowing that he wasn't graduated; she couldn't help but think that it might not be the best idea to let him do this. She felt guilty for thinking such things, she knew Discord was a good person and that he would never put his students in a dangerous situation. But if anyone else found out about this, he could get fired! And that was the last thing she wanted. "All right everyone!" he said excitedly " Now, pay attention to this. I'm sure you all know that when you mix liquid nitrogen with warm water we get those wonderful and soft clouds. Well, how about we try to mix this time warm water WITH liquid nitrogen?" Some students looked at each other confused. "Um... wouldn't that give us the same results Profesor Discord?" Rarity asked. "No-no-no. It wouldn't because we'll be using a LOT more than than," he responded. "Bring them here boys!" And just like that, the door opened revealing three strong students, carrying four big cans of liquid nitrogen. All the students were amazed. "All right! Now, here we have exactly five liters of liquid nitrogen, and in this glass a little bit of hot water," Discord said, showing them the bowl in his desk. "Rainbow Dash, help me get these cans over my desk." Rainbow Dash looked at her friends unsure and then went there to help him. Once, all the cans were in his table, she ran back to her friends again. "Um, Profesor Discord, is it safe to use that amount to liquid nitrogen? I usually use no more than two liters!" Twilight said. "Don't worry. The more amount, the more big the explosion would be"! Discord said, grabbing the cans and pouring it in the huge bowl. "YEAH!!! I WANT TO SEE CLOUDS!!!" Pinkie yelled excitedly. "Um, Pinkie. That's not what's gonna happen," Rainbow explained to her. All the students were in the corner, trying to stay away from Discord's desk as possible, except for Fluttershy, who was just a few feet away, behind a table, covering her eyes. She was really worried about Discord. Once all the liquid nitrogen was in the giant bowl, Discord was about to grab the glass of hot water, until he came up with an idea. "You know, I've always wanted to try this," he said looking for something in the desk's drawers. "This is a little something that I like to call: SURPRISE ELEMENT!" He got out a little bottle with light yellow liquid. All the students gasped. "Is... is that catalyst?!" Twilight yelled. "Are you nuts?!" Rainbow yelled too. "That stuff is like gasoline with water and nitrogen!" "I'M SO NERVOUS! AND EXCITED! BUT MOSTLY NERVOUS!!!" Pinkie yelled. Fluttershy uncovered her eyes and gasped too. "Dis... I mean, Mr. Discord. Are you sure this is safe?" she asked him. Discord looked at her, then at the rest of the students, and smiled warmly. "I have never tried this before, but I will never put any of you in danger. Trust me," he said calmly. The students looked at him and then at each other. Fluttershy put on her goggles and stood up. She turned around and looked at her friends and classmates. "I trust him," she said. Her friends looked at her and confident, they nodded. Discord smiled, grabbed the little bottle of catalyst in one hand, and the glass of hot water in the other. The students stared at him with widened eyes and prepare for what was about to happen. Rarity took her phone out and started recording everything. "Here we go..." Discord said. "One... two... THREE!" ... ¡BOOM! Dean Celestia was checking some paperwork until she heard a huge explosion and almost everything in her desk fell off, while her chair moved almost ten feet to the side like an earthquake. "What the...?! What is going on?!" Celestia screamed worried and shocked. Luna came into her office quickly, opening the door strongly. "Celestia! Are you alright?!" Luna asked. "Yes! What is happening?!" she replied. "What was that?!" "There was an explosion! On the second floor, in the laboratory!" "The lab?! Isn't that where...?" Celestia said, before realizing something. Her eyes widened. Luna, seeing her expression, realized the same thing, and frown furiously. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Luna yelled, running out of the office, with Celestia following her. All the students were just outside the lab class, coughing, and trying to catch their breath. When they looked up and, to their surprise, the whole laboratory was covered with a giant white foam, covering every corner of the room and trying to reach out to other classes. Everybody was amazed. It was like a giant lake of soap foam! Except it was chemicals. Not lethal, of course. "Woah! This is amazing!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Incredible... when the hot water made contact with the liquid nitrogen, it became a huge explosion of clouds, but with the catalyst, the clouds transform into foam, increasing the amount and density of its explosion!" Twilight said while taking notes on her notepad. "Must you dull everything?" Rainbow said to her. "Oh my! This foam is just beautiful!" Rarity said. "I think I just got my new inspiration for my Winter Season collection!" "IT'S LIKE A COTTON CANDY EXPLOSION!!!" Pinkie Pie yelled, trying to get to the foam. "Woah there, sugar cube!" Applejack said, holding her on. "That is NOT edible!" Fluttershy was impressed by the results of the experiment. It was incredible! Discord was right. He would never do anything dangerous. He cared about his students and his class. This made her smile. It took her a few seconds to realize that she couldn't find him anywhere. What if... what if he was trapped?! "Oh my Goodness! Profesor Discord! He's still inside!" Fluttershy yelled worried. All the students gasped worried. Some guys were about to get inside again but then the main door to the lab opened up and they saw Discord standing. Then, he leaned his arm on the wall while coughing trying to catch his breath. His face was covered with foam and his hair was way up and messed up. He removed his lab goggles and cough a little bit more. "Cough, cough. Woah... I did not see that coming... But... IT WAS AWESOME!" he yelled throwing his arms up. All the students stared at him for a moment and then cheered. Fluttershy looked at him surprised and then covered her mouth trying to avoid giggling. He was just amazing! "DISCORD!" Everyone cringed at the familiar sound of Miss Luna's angry voice. This was not gonna end well. Discord just stood there, trying to come with an excuse or an apology, but Luna just stared at him with those "you're so dead" eyes. He gulped. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Luna yelled. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" "Um... why Miss Luna. I was teaching my students... um... a new type of chemical reaction!" Discord said nervously while whipping off the foam that was all over him. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if you...!?" Luna yelled angrily. "Luna, enough!" Dean Celestia said. Luna stopped and narrowed her eyes toward Discord, while he was trying to avoid her stare. "Is everybody alright?" Celestia asked the students. All of them nodded. "Very well. That's a relief," she said. "Now, please. Anyone who is covered in foam, go to your dorms and clean up. The Lab class has finished. Please give space for the janitors to clean this up and be off to your other classes if you have any." All the students began to walk away. Fluttershy was about to follow her friends but she looked back at Discord, who looked pretty scared of Luna and Celestia's expressions. She was worried. She didn't want him to get in trouble, he didn't hurt anyone. But she knew there was nothing she could do right now. She will look for him after she cleaned up. Discord just stood there, trying to not look at Luna directly in the eyes. But still, he could feel her cold and angry look at his soul. "Discord, come with us. Now." Celestia said. She turned around and walked away. Luna looked at him sideways and followed her sister. "Uh oh, she's using the 'mom' tone," he thought, as he followed them. "This is NOT gonna be good." Celestia was walking one side to another around her desk, while Luna was standing on the corner of the office, still starting at Discord furiously. Discord just sat there, in the other chair, in front of Celestia's desk. He just stayed there, trying to avoid Luna's devil eyes. "Well, isn't this deja vu. Hehe," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. " Last time I was here, Starswirl was blabbing about something I did. Do you ladies remember? I'm sure it got something to do with..." "Discord, stop talking," Celestia said in a firm tone, still walking. "Yep" Discord replied quickly, shutting his mouth. There was still silence for about three or five more minutes. Discord couldn't take the tension anymore. "I-I'm sorry but... do you ever blink?" he asked looking at Luna freaked out. She just narrowed tighter her eyes. "Do you have ANY idea what would have happened if...!" she shouted. "Alright, that's it! Luna! SIT!" Celestia yelled at her sister. Lune stared at her shocked and pouted, sitting next to Discord, who was trying not to laugh. Celestia sighed. "I definitely just hate it when you make me use the 'mom' tone," she said rubbing the bridge of her eyes. "Ha! Called it!" Discord said. "ZIP IT!" Discord shut his mouth again. Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then faced her sister and talk in a smooth tone. "Look, Celestia, I think it's clear that giving Discord the job was a huge mistake," Luna said. "Now, don't blame yourself..." "I'm not," Celestia said annoyed. "...But it's better late than never," Luna continued, ignoring her sister's response. "Wow, you just... love talking, don't you?" Discord said mockingly. Luna growled at him. "Would you two stop acting like kids and listen to me!?" Discord and Luna looked at Celestia with widened eyes. "First things first, Discord... Why, in the world, did you made that kind of experiment when you clearly knew it was gonna result in an explosion?!" "Kay-k... Sorry. Dean Celestia," Discord said. "I have done that experiment before. Even far more complicated. I was only trying to learn and teach something new. Okay? I didn't mean to anyone to get hurt, and they didn't!" "Yeah, but they could've." Luna said. "N-no. No! That's not true! I knew what I was doing," he said. "I mean, I didn't exactly know that was gonna happen, but I knew it wasn't gonna be lethal or dangerous. It was just unexpected." "Yes, but sometimes the unexpected can turn into terrible consequences, Discord. For everyone." Luna said. "I know that," he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I would never do anything to hurt or put students or anyone in the University in danger. EVER. I... just wanted to teach a class in a new way." "You mean... your way," Celestia said in a serious and disappointing tone, which Discord noticed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Celestia, please. You know how much this work means to me," he said desperately. Luna looked at him and at Celestia confused. What was he talking about? "I made one mistake... and I swear it'll be the last," he said. Celestia stared at him thinking. She knew Discord, she knew he would never do anything mad or dangerous to anyone, but that event also took her to those many incidents and problems he caused when he studied here. After a few seconds thinking things over, she stood up and looked at him seriously. "I'm learning to trust you again Discord, I really am, " Celestia said. "You're not fired, not yet. But if anything like this happens again, you're out. For good. I know you didn't mean it, but that doesn't mean people won't get hurt anyway." Discord stood there in silence, listening to those last words Celestia said. He began to feel those nervous and anxious feelings from before. Was that what he was doing? Was that the only thing he was good at? Hurting people? He didn't mean to, but did he even noticed? His palms began to sweat, his vision was getting a little blurry, it was a little hard for him to breath. It was happening again! And this time, Smooze wasn't there. He couldn't let Celestia and Luna see him like that. They wouldn't trust his judgment anymore, not that they did right now anyway. So, with all of the strength and auto-control that he had, he took a deep breath and stood up slowly. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again," he said trembling and quickly turned around and left. Celestia looked at him, surprised, and worried about his reaction. Luna then turned around to look at her sister. "What was that?" she asked. "I... I don't know. I hope I wasn't too hard on him," Celestia said guiltily. "No. I mean, what was that. What was he talking about?" Lune replied. " That you know how much this job means to him. What did he mean by that?" Celestia looked at her and then sighed. "Look, I swear I don't know all the details, but I can only tell you that... he had it rough after he left... and this job is a way for him to make things right." "Make things right? About what?" Luna asked. "I don't know Luna," she answered. "I really don't. He didn't tell me. But I'm sure it was bad." "Is that why you gave him the job?" Luna asked shocked. "No! You were there! He didn't say anything!" she replied. "He told me afterward that...he just wanted to make up for some stuff he did. He wouldn't tell me what!" Luna stared at her, still shocked, but then she calmed herself and began to walk away. But before she left the office, she turned to see Celestia again. "You're my sister, Celestia. I trust you. I always have," she said seriously. "But I need you to trust me too." Luna turned around again and left, closing the door, leaving her big sister standing there, tired and stressed. Celestia just took a deep breath and sat back in her chair. "This day can not get any worse," she said sighing. The taxi car made another turn and it was right in front of the main gate of "Canterlot University". The man in the back seat stared at it for a few seconds before smiling slyly. "Well, pal. Here we are. Canterlot University," the taxi driver said. "Sorry for the delay. I had no idea about that crash in Main street. This Waze thing is a bust, am I right?" The man didn't say anything. "Ooooookay... It'll be eight with forty-five." the taxi driver said hanging his hand out. The man took out of his pocket a ten-dollar bill. He put it on the driver's hand and stepped out of the car. The driver rolled down his window and stuck his head out. "Hope you get the job buddy," he said cheerfully. "And that you find your old friend. Good luck." And he drove away. The man just stood there and took a grand view of the huge building in front of him. He looked a lot of groups of young students, walking around campus. But what he was mostly interested in was the beautiful and desirable young ladies. It took him to some old times, which only motivated him more to find his old 'friend'. He didn't know why that traitor would end up here, he was sure he'll find him and make him pay for what he did. But this wasn't gonna be easy. At a minimum amount of suspicion, everything he did to remind hidden all these years will be for nothing. Fortunately, he was known for his persistence, planning, and patience. He dusted off his jacket and made up his smooth hair a little. One step at a time. "Now, first things first, get the job," he said as he walked toward the main gate. Discord kept walking, fast. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care if he had another class. He probably didn't after the incident, but he didn't care at that moment. He just had to get out of there. His vision was getting a little blurry, he felt like the walls were closing in, and being surrounded by a lot of students walking around didn't help him. He could almost see the door that would lead him to the street but just before he could reach the doorknob, he heard that lovely voice calling his name. "Discord! Wait!" Surprised, he turned around and saw Fluttershy walking toward him. No! Not now! Not her! He didn't want her to see him like that! He didn't know where to even begin to explain! With a lot of effort, he took another deep breath and tried to calm himself, but he knew it wouldn't last long so he'll have to be excused quickly. "F-Fluttershy! Hi!" he said nervously, trying to hide his sweaty hands in his pockets. "W-what... what are you doing here? Don't you have class?" "Oh no, not at the moment, don't worry," Fluttershy said. "I was looking for you. I was a little worried. You didn't get into trouble, did you?" "M-me? Trouble? Oh no, don't you worry my dear," he replied. "Dean Celestia only, um, she only let me go with a warning, that's it. Everything is perfect. Just great." Fluttershy was not convinced. She could tell there was something that was bothering him. Was he mad at her? Why was he trying to get away from her? "Discord, are you okay? Did something happen?" she asked trying to get closer to him. Discord only got more nervous. He couldn't handle it! He got to get out of there! Now! "I-uh... I... I'm sorry!" he said, almost yelling. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy! I have to go!" He desperately opened the door and ran out of there as fast as he could. Fluttershy stared at him, shocked at what just happened. She has never seen Discord so nervous or scared. "Discord, wait!" she yelled, following him. She began running, trying to keep up with him, and then she noticed he was heading to the park next to the university, the park where she usually hangs out. Discord turned his head around while he kept on running, trying to see if he lost her, but without noticing he tripped with a rock and fell down on a grass hill. "Aaaaaaaah!" he exclaimed. "Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ugh!" "Oy!" "My finger!" "My leg!" "My back!" "OW!" "Auch!" He kept falling until he hit the ground, flat-faced. Fluttershy, having seen the entire fall, looked at him from the top of the grass hill shocked and worried. "Oh my goodness!" she said, getting down carefully. "Discord! Are you okay?!" Discord groaned trying to get up. His face, arms, legs, and back had a lot of bruises. His clothes were dirty with grass. The pain he was feeling in his whole body almost made him forget why he was running. Almost. Fluttershy finally made it down and kneeled next to him, trying to help him get up. "Discord. You're all bruised up!" she said worriedly. "Here let me help you." "No, no. I-I'm okay," he replied nervously again. "I-I just need to..." "Discord, breath. You're scaring me," she said. "Please, tell me what's going on." Discord looked at her, breathing sharply again. He shot his eyes trying to hide it, but he was just so tired to fight it. He took a deep breath and then hugged her with all the strength he had left. Fluttershy was taken back a little, she stared at him shocked with widened eyes. He was hugging her. Hugging her tight. Not too much to asphyxiate her but enough to made him feel safe. She didn't know why he was hugging her but her instincts took in and hugged him back. They stood like that for a few minutes, until Fluttershy felt Discord calming down and breathing normally again. She let go and looked at him. "Feeling better?" she asked sweetly. He looked at her, surprised. Other people would have preferred to leave under such an uncomfortable moment or would have just let him run away. But she didn't. She followed him, she stayed with him because she cared about him, because she was his friend. He never had anyone that cared about him that much. Talking and laughing together was one thing, but this. She was a really one-of-a-kind girl. He had to tell her. She is the only one that would understand. "Yes. I am," he said, looking at her. "Thank you." "You're welcome," she said smiling sweetly. They let go of each other. Discord sat down on the grass while Fluttershy stayed kneeled. He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry for... running off like that," he said. "I didn't want to worry you." "It's okay. I don't mind," she said. "I've never seen you like this. What happened?" "I..." he sighed. "I had a panic attack. I suffer from that from time to time." Fluttershy looked at him surprised. She had no idea. He never talked about it in their tea parties. Then again, it was a very sensitive topic. "Really?" she asked. "I never would have imagined. From all that you've told me, you are always carefree and fun-loving." "Hehe, well my dear," he said chuckling a little. "It's not something I'm exactly proud to talk about." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. It's not your doing." "And it's not yours either, I'm sure." Discord said nothing. If only she knew. He looked down. "May I ask... what caused you to have this?" Fluttershy asked a little nervous. "I really don't think this is the best place to talk about that," he said joking. "And don't worry about it. I know exactly what to do when this happens. I just need some relaxing moments with Smooze and I'll be okay." "Smooze?" she asked curiously. "Who's Smooze?" Discord looked at her and then smiled warmly. The perfect way to change the topic. "Oh, you're gonna love him," he said cheerfully. "Want to meet him?" "Sure," she said smiling again. "I'm on my break anyway. Let's go." They smiled at each other and then got up. Discord's hair was still full of grass and his clothes were a mess, but he didn't mind. He and Fluttershy walked away together through the park, both of them feeling better. "This day might not be so bad after all." Discord thought. "Well, you may not have any references, but you do seem like you have experience practicing sports. I don't see any criminal records... And you have no problem changing your class on short notice right?" Celestia asked the man that was sitting in front of her desk while she was reading some files with his curriculum. "Absolutely not, miss," the man answered with a professional and calmed voice. "I have experience working with different shift hours. And since it's Gym class, it'll be very practical and easy for me to go one place to another. That way I can... explore more this place." "Well then, I don't see a reason why I shouldn't hire you," she answered calmly. "Besides, we've been without a Gym teacher for a while now. I could say your timing here is just right. I'll introduce you to my sister Luna tomorrow, right before your very first class, so the students and other teachers may meet you too." Celestia stood up at the same time the man did, and they both shook hands. "Welcome to Canterlot University, Mr.?" "Please," the man said slyly. "Call me... Sombra." > Chapter VIII: Something So Right... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, you're really not going to tell me who Smooze is?" Fluttershy said curiously. "Well, you don't want me to ruin the surprise, right?" Discord said smirking a little. Fluttershy giggled. She was really glad Discord was being his "normal" self, the joker but also kind self she knew. She still didn't understand what happened before, with the whole running and hugging her part but she wasn't going to push him to talk about it this time. Everybody got their things in life to deal with, he would deal with his when he was ready. For now, she was just happy that they get to hang out, outside the university this time. Being with him, support him, listen to him, and talk to him just felt...right. Both of them were walking through the streets, chatting and laughing on the way. Discord felt... better, as better as he could be at the moment anyway. He did not see that coming. He usually controls his panic attacks better than that when he has Smooze; but back then, he was alone, in a public space and around a lot of people. That was a lot for him, he just wasn't thinking right. But now, with Fluttershy by his side; he felt relaxed, calmed, warm, and... happy. After walking for a few minutes, they got to Discord's little apartment. Discord was surprised they made it walking, he usually takes the bus. Guess he didn't feel time go by when he was with Fluttershy, and he didn't mind. Fluttershy looked at the building and around the neighborhood. This was... not what she expected. The more she knew new things about Discord, the more she was curious about him and his life. But she will not pressure him again. "I know it's not a lot, but... it's the best I could find." Discord said, kinda knowing what she was thinking about this place! "Oh no! No, no! There's nothing wrong with it!" Fluttershy said embarrassed. "I didn't mean to... I wasn't... I don't...!" "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm just messing around," Discord said, chuckling a little of her reaction. "I know you don't think like that. I was only joking." "Oh... well, still, I don't think there's something wrong with this place or neighborhood," she said calmly. "I was just... surprised. That's all" "Well, seems that I've been full of surprises to you, huh?" he said joking. Fluttershy blushed. "Come on. Let's get inside," he said. They walked inside the building and got in the little lobby. At the desk, an old lady was watching a telenovela on a little TV. "Good evening, Matilda." Discord said. "Oh, Discord. You're home early," Matilda said. "Yeah, I... I finished classes early," he said, looking at Fluttershy nervously. She just giggled. "Oh, and who's this?" Matilda asked, looking at Fluttershy kindly. "Oh, she's... um... she's one of my students," Discord said cautiously. He didn't want her to have to wrong idea. But he wasn't gonna lie either. It would only make things worse. "She's here to meet Smooze. I don't want to ruin the surprise, so would you mind keep her company while I got get him?" "Oh, yes, of course," Matilda said delightedly. Discord looked at her thankfully and then smiled at Fluttershy very quickly before heading the stairs. Fluttershy watched him leave and then looked at Matilda shyly. She just returned the smile. "What is your name, sweetie?" Matilda asked, to start a conversation. "Oh, my name is Fluttershy, ma'am," she said kindly. "What a beautiful name," Matilda replied. "What does Discord teach you?" "He's my chemistry teacher." "Oh, yes. I remember he told me his class got something to do with science or stuff like that," Matilda giggled. "He may be a handful one, but he sure is smart. I'm just glad he got the job. I was afraid my Cranky was gonna stay there until the end of his days!" "Wait, you know Mr. Cranky Doodle?" Fluttershy asked. "Know him? He's my husband," Matilda said. "We both love to work, but, boy, he was so stubborn to quit. It was about time he retired. One month more and I'll be retiring too. We want to spend time together as much as possible." "Oh, that's nice. I'm afraid Mr. Doodle never mentioned you," Fluttershy said gently. "Oh, he wouldn't. We both like to keep our work-life separated form our marriage. That's how we managed to stay together this long!" Matilda said jokingly. They both giggled. "Well, I'm glad you too are happy," Fluttershy said. "And tell him not to worry. Discord is doing a great job as a Chemistry teacher." "You're friends with him?" Matilda asked curiously. "Oh, well. Yeah, yeah we are," Fluttershy said nervously. "Is... something wrong with that?" "Oh, no! Of course not!" Matilda said. "I remember when I was in college, there was this teacher who always helped with my studies, my homework, and tests. Without his help and knowledge, I never would have become the writer I am today. This job is just a small way to pay the bills." "Wow, I had no idea," Fluttershy said. "Well, some people get into your life when you least expect it and they change it forever. Those are the best kind of people, sweetie. Trust me, I know." Matilda said. Fluttershy stood there, listening to her words and thinking about Discord. He has certainly changed her way of seeing things, but for the better. She's been friends with other teachers, but with him, she felt different. Could Angel be right? Could she be having a crush on her teacher?! Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps coming from the stairs. She turned around and what she saw made her eyes widened and gasped surprised. On the floor, there was the cutest and most adorable puppy she has ever seen in her life! "Fluttershy, this is Smooze. My service puppy," Discord said smiling. Fluttershy stood there frozen and shock for a few seconds, confusing Discord and Matilda until she made a squeak so long and loud, it almost hurt Smooze's ears. Almost. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH" Fluttershy squeaked, making Discord and Matilda cover their ears. Smooze just stood there, oblivious. "OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!" Fluttershy exclaimed excitedly. "HE IS SOOOOOOO CUTE! HE IS SO TINY! HE IS JUST... SO... ADORABLE!" She leaned down, grabbed Smooze, and hugged him lovingly. Smooze sniffed her a little and then barked happily, linking her face excited. Fluttershy giggled uncontrollably. "My, she does love animals, doesn't she Discord?" Matilda said jokingly, looking at him. "Discord?" Discord just stood there, awed at Fluttershy's reaction. He knew she loved animals, but that was just... the most adorable reaction he has ever seen. The way her eyes sparkled when she saw Smooze, her cute laugh, her beautiful smile; a genuine smile. He was already fascinated by her kind spirit and passion to learn, but now; he didn't see her as a determined student but as a compassionate and remarkable young woman. He couldn't help to smile warmly with care in his eyes. Luckily, he was able to hide it from Matilda since it was her voice that brought him back to reality. "Discord? Are you okay?" Matilda asked. "Uh? Oh, yeah! Sorry..." Discord said quickly, nervous. "It's just... I've never seen... Smooze get along with someone so quickly, that's it." "He is sooooo adorable and cute!" Fluttershy kept saying. "Where did you get him?" "I'll tell you later. I got to take him for a walk," Discord said. "Oh! Let me go with you! Please!" Fluttershy asked excitedly, still hugging Smooze. "Of course," Discord said. "I'll be back later Matilda." "Sure," Matilda said. "It was very nice meeting you Fluttershy." "You too, Matilda," Fluttershy said back, with Smooze still in her arms. "Bye." As Fluttershy and Discord walked away from the department, Matilda kept looking at them. Once they were gone, Matilda smirked knowingly. "There's something between them..." she said, getting back to watch the rest of her tv show. Fluttershy and Discord got to a big park, where other people took their pets to play or just pass the time. Smooze was still in Fluttershy's arms, just enjoying her warm kissed and hugs. He has never been this spoiled in his short time. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good baby?" Fluttershy asked playfully to Smooze, hugging him tightly. "Yes, you are. You are!" Smooze barked happily and licked her face once again, making her giggle. Discord couldn't stop smiling. He didn't know what was more adorable: the excitement of Smooze's tail wagging, or the beautiful sound of Fluttershy's giggle. It made him so happy and fuzzy inside that the two beings he cared about most get along so well. After a few minutes of walking, they got to a bench in the middle of a great and wide-area where Smooze could run as much as he wanted. Fluttershy put him down and sat next to Discord on the bench. They both watched with smiles on their faces Smooze running and sniffing everything around him. "He's just so cute," Fluttershy said. "And very well behaved. Where did you get him?" "He's my service puppy," Discord said. "Normally, they don't let them be service dogs at such a young age but he and I hit it off very quickly, so I got to keep him. He's still in training but has helped me a lot." "Help you... with what?" Fluttershy asked. "He's my service dog, for panic attacks. Kinda like a dog that helps people with anxiety or stuff like that," Discord said, looking to the side. Fluttershy looked at him awed and nodded in understanding. Discord looked at her surprised. "Aren't you... gonna ask me about it?" he asked confused. "Not if you don't want me to," Fluttershy said warmly. Discord stared at her and smiled gratefully. They kept seeing Smooze playing with other dogs from the park. They spent minutes in silence, just enjoying the peaceful view and moment in the park. Discord still couldn't stop thinking about Fluttershy's smile when she first saw Smooze. And he still couldn't believe that he had such an amazing person in his life. After a few more minutes of silence, Discord closed his eyes and sighed deeply, making Fluttershy look at him. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you," Discord said signing defeatedly. "You don't have to..." Fluttershy replied. "I know... But... I want you to know," Discord said determinedly. "You deserve to know." Fluttershy looked at him a little surprised and then turned around completely, facing him. Discord cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Remember that I told you after I left college, I went literally everywhere and anywhere, to 'find myself' or whatever?" he began saying. Fluttershy nodded. "Well, the thing is... what I didn't tell you was that... I saw really messed up stuff. Like, really bad," Discord kept talking, with a tone of regret and fear. "The kind of things you only see in... horror movies, police show or the news. You know, really bad things. And well, nothing happened to me, like, nothing physically but... those things I saw... affected me, emotionally. I made me paranoid, insecure, frightened of everything around me. I... I didn't felt safe, anywhere. Thus the panic attacks. At some point, it began to happen frequently, messing up with my mind and perception. With time, I got help, and... you know the rest." Fluttershy stood in silence, still listening to him. "I've tried to forget some of those things, you know put it all behind me and stuff, but... I keep getting flashes or nightmares. Not more than before but... it still there. And when it happens, I lose control. That is what happened when Celestia talked to me today. Her saying that people could have gotten hurt, students, my students, I guess I just... lost it. Usually, Smooze helps me with this but... today I was alone, in a public space, surrounded by people, I just... I couldn't handle it," Discord said with his eyes closes. "That's why I ran. I didn't want anyone to see me like that, especially not you." Discord opened his eyes and stared at her, sideways, with a scared and worried look on his face. She just stood there, still staring at him, with her eyes widened. "And... that's pretty much it," he said, turning his head away from her. There was silence for a few long minutes. Discord was already expecting the worst: hearing her scream, gasp, cry, just standing up and leaving him there. But nothing happened. Still, he wouldn't dare to turn around and look at her expression, which must have been a frightening one. Then, making him jump a little, he felt her hand on top of his. He turned his gaze at their hands and then looked at her, awed. She was looking at him... smiling warmly. He was so confused. After all that?! And she was still nice to him?! They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, which felt like hours until she quickly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly; but not too much, though he felt like he couldn't breathe. "Thank you for telling me this," Fluttershy whispered sweetly, leaning her chin over his shoulder, still hugging him. Discord's eyes widened and looked at her surprised. Then, a warm and kind smile appeared on his face. He hugged her back and they stood like that for a while. Their moment was interrupted when they heard Smooze barking at them. They let go of each other and looked at Smooze with a stick in front of him, panting excitedly. Discord chuckled. "Hehehe... Sorry. He likes to play with anything he finds," Discord said. " Wanna play with us?". Fluttershy smiled excitedly. "Of course! I'd love to!" she said. "Come on, Smooze!" They both stood up, Fluttershy grabbed the stick and began to run, with Smooze and Discord following her. They all spent the next hours playing and having fun at the park. Fluttershy and Discord tossed the stick to one another, with Smooze chasing them happily. They would throw the stick a little far and then hide behind some trees or bushes when the little puppy would come back, making him go look out for them; kinda like a hide and seek game. Then, Discord tried to catch the stick but tripped and fell down a hedge. Fluttershy gasped and ran to him, to make sure he was okay. Just as she was gonna lean in, Discord got up covered in branches and leaves. Fluttershy looked at him shocked and then began to laugh uncontrollably. He looked at her, at himself, and then blushed a little. Fluttershy helped him get cleaned up. After hours of playing with Smooze and running around the park, they decided to buy some drinks. Discord went to a little stand to buy some sodas, while Fluttershy stayed on a bench, seated next to Smooze. She kept staring at Discord from where she was, with a smile on her face and her face a little red. "You like him, don't you?" Fluttershy jumped a little and looked around to see who said that. She looked down and looked at Smooze shocked. He just stared at her obliviously. "Did... did you just talked?" she asked still in shock. Smooze's eyes widened in the realization that she heard what he said. "Wait... you... you can understand me?!" Smooze said shocked too. Fluttershy shushed him and tried to act normal, hoping nobody was watching them, especially not Discord. Luckily, everyone was minding their own business and Discord was still in line for the sodas. She sighed in relief before turning to Smooze again, who still was shocked. "You... you understand me?" Smooze said. "But... but how?!" "First of all," Fluttershy said. "Your voice is so ADORABLE! Second... I know why you're surprised. It's not every day a human understands what you're saying. Let's just say... I have a gift." "A gift? It's a miracle, that's what it is!!!" Smooze said happily. "This is great! Now I can finally order food on my own, I can sing in a contest for talented dogs, and I can help Discord with his emotional problems!!! This is amazi..." "No, no, no, Smooze. People can't understand you," Fluttershy tried to explain to him. "Only I can. Okay?" "Wait... only you can understand what I'm saying?" "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry." "Awwww," Smooze complained. "Oh well. It's better than nothing. Besides, you're nice. It'd be great to talk to you!" "Thank you," Fluttershy said. "You're so kind and cute! Discord is lucky to have you." "I'm lucky to have him," Smooze said. "He saved me. I try to help him in any way I can, I owe him that much." Fluttershy smiled. "Anyway, the thing I was saying," Smooze said, as he smirked playfully. "You like him, don't you?" Fluttershy's eyes widened and her face turned red again. "I may be cute, but I'm not blind," Smooze said. "I'm familiar with human courtship. Discord watches a LOT of romantic movies." "He does?" Fluttershy asked surprised. "...Uuuuuhhhh... Hey! Don't change the subject!" Smooze said, realizing the mistake he did. "You have feelings for my master, don't you?" "W-what?! No! He's just my friend," Fluttershy said nervously. "I-I mean... he's also my teacher, but... we hang out, we chat, we laugh and... okay, we may be very close... but he's just my friend!" "I can literally smell your sweat right now," Smooze said, making Fluttershy blush even more than before. "Look, you can trust me. It's not like I can tell him or anybody for that matter." Fluttershy looked at him a little insecure. She turned around to see Discord, who was still in line for the sodas. She took a deep breath and looked at Smooze again. "Okay, look," Fluttershy said. "I... don't know how I feel, okay? I know I've never felt this way before about anyone, but... I'm not sure what it is exactly. I do care for him. He's funny, smart, caring, kind, and... well, a little weird, but in a good way. I still don't know how to describe this, but; even if it is what you think... It would only make things more complicated. For both of us." Smooze looked at her with sympathy. "But... he has been so nice and kind to me. I've never seen him be like this with anyone else before," Fluttershy said. "He makes me feel more confident, safe, brave and loved. I... I may not know how I feel, but... I am happy when I'm with him. Very happy. So... that's a start, right?" Smooze just stayed there, looking at her. Fluttershy got confused. "Um... Smooze?" "Oh! Sorry, sorry!" Smooze said snapping out of it. "You can understand me. I forgot about that. I just have gotten used to only listening, hehe. Wow, finally, I can give someone advice! Anyway, I understand that this may not be easy for you. It must not be to anybody. As a therapist, in a way, I can't tell you how Discord thinks or feels, but I do know that he cares for you. A lot more than you can imagine. Just keep being there for him, especially during those moments he has. Trust me, they're a LOT worse." Fluttershy got worried. She may not know what Discord's been through, but she sure knows how it feels to be alone in a moment of crisis. That's how she felt before she met her friends. She didn't want Discord to feel like that. Before they could continue the conversation, they both heard Discord coming back with two sodas in his hands. "We'll talk later," Smooze whispered, acting normal. "Hey!" Discord said. "Sorry, it took so long. People sure make such a fuss over some sodas." "It's okay," Fluttershy said. "I was just... talking to Smooze" "Yeah?" he said sitting down. "He is a pretty good listener. Though, don't expect him to talk to you back." Fluttershy giggled nervously and looked at Smooze, seeing how the little pup winked at her. She smiled. "Here you go. Strawberry Soda," Discord said hanging over her a can. "Thank you." They drank from their sodas until Discord checked his watch, indicating 5 o'clock. His eyes widened. "Oh dear," Discord said. "We better get back. We have spent almost all afternoon here." "Really?" Fluttershy said surprised. "I haven't even noticed it." "Well, time does fly by when you're having fun, am I right?" Discord joked. Fluttershy giggled. "I'll better get back and leave Smooze at home. Luckily I don't have any classes tonight so, no hurry for me. Do you have any classes left?" "Not really," Fluttershy said. "But I did promise my friends to help them with some flyers. I better get back now." "I'll come with you," Discord said. "No, no. It's okay," Fluttershy said. After that chat with Smooze, she needed some time alone to think. "You just take Smooze back home. I bet he'll be happy to be with you so early." "Well, after today, he's gonna fall asleep before we get home," Discord said, jokingly. They giggled and looked at each other blushing a little. Smooze barked and Fluttershy carried him. "Goodbye Smooze. I'll see you soon," she said. "You know it," Smooze said, but only Fluttershy understood him. She gave him back to Discord and grabbed her bag back. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Discord asked a little worried. "Don't worry. I'll be fine," Fluttershy said. "I had a lot of fun today. Thank you Discord." "You have nothing to thank me for," he said. "Thank you for... you know... just being there. I really needed someone to talk to, who could talk back to me." Fluttershy smiled and giggled a little. "That's what friends do, right?" she said gently. "Yeah... I guess." Discord said quietly. After a few seconds of awkwardness, they hugged each other gently and Fluttershy walked away and waved goodbye at him. Discord waved back and stood there, still carrying Smooze, staring at her. He sighed. "Well Smooze, I hope you had fun today," he said as he began to walk away. "Because we're gonna have a looong session once we get home. I have a LOT of stuff to get off my chest right now." "Oh trust me, master." Smooze said. "I know." "And... that's the last one!" Pinkie said as she put a flyer on the university's news board. "What do you think?" "It's perfect, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Thank you so much again for decorating the flyers. It will definitely get the attention of everyone!" "Don't worry, Twilight. I love decorating for this kind of event!" Pinkie said excitedly. "I can't believe we're a few days from the College's Gala!" "It is pretty exciting," Twilight said. "And it'll an amazing party with all of your help. And the girls too. Speaking of that, have you heard from Rarity? She said she wanted to show us her designs for our dresses." "I don't know," Pinkie said. "Last time I saw her, she was at Miss Luna's office. Guess she'll be here at any moment." "Hey, guys!" Rainbow said coming their way. "Aj and I already finished putting our flyers on the other side of campus. This year's Gala is gonna be awesome!!! Just us girls having fun!" "I wouldn't want it any other way," Applejack said. "Oh, didn't Rarity tell you?" Twilight asked. "She wants to go to the Gala with a date. Something about this time was going to be the best night of her life or something like that. And honestly, I'm just gonna be very busy taking care of everything at the Gala and making sure nothing falls out of place. It is my responsibility now after all." "Yeah!" Pinkie said. "Besides, that cute guy from Performing Arts, Cheese Sandwich, just asked me to be his date for the Gala so... THIS GAL GONNA PARTY! WHOOHOO!" "WHAT?!" Rainbow said. "But we all agreed we'll go together! Night of friends, remember! I don't want to go with a boy! Ugh!" "Hey Rainbow! Calm down!" Applejack said. "You still got me... and Fluttershy. So don't worry. It'll still be Night with friends." "Yeah... I guess," Rainbow said. "Thanks, AJ." The two girls smiled at each other. "Hey, speaking of which, where's Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked. "She was supposed to help us with the flyers too." "I don't know," Twilight said. "I haven't seen her since Lab Class." "She seemed really worried about Mr. Discord," Applejack said. "Y'all think she's okay?" Before any of the girls could answer, Fluttershy appeared walking right behind them. "Found her!" Pinkie said. The girls turned around and saw her friend. Fluttershy looked up at them. "Fluttershy! There you are! Where were you?!" Rainbow asked worriedly as she approached her friend. "I'm so sorry girls," Fluttershy said. "I was just... passing the time and I didn't even notice it was so late. I'll get to those flyers right away." "It's okay Fluttershy," Twilight said. "We're just glad you're here." "So, how's Mr. Discord?" Pinkie asked. "W-what?" Fluttershy asked nervously. "You know, you went to check on him after class," Pinkie said. "You told me." "O-oh, y-yes. That. I... uh..." Fluttershy shuttered. "Um... he... he's okay. He just... needed some time alone. So... he went home early. That's... that's all." The girls looked at her unsure of what to think. There was something weird going on with Fluttershy. Was she... was she hiding something from them? Their thoughts were interrupted when all of them heard an excited scream coming their way. They all turned their heads to see Rarity squealing like a teenage girl, running their way. "Oh, my stars, darlings!!!" Rarity said excitedly. "You are not gonna believe this!" "Woah, Rarity. Calm down!" Rainbow Dash said. "What's wrong? Is there a fire or something?" "Not a fire per se, but you better believe it's about to be HOT here!" Rarity exclaimed. "Now hold on!" Applejack said. "What in tarnation are ya talkin' about Rarity?" "And we're supposed to be starting Autumn soon," Twilight said checking her cellphone. "So I really doubt it'd be getting hotter anytime soon." "I'm not talking about the weather, darlings," Rarity said. "I'm talking about our new teacher." "Oh no! Did Mr. Discord burned himself?!" Pinkie said. "Fluttershy! You just said he was fine!!!!" "I... I..." Fluttershy stuttered confusingly. "Oh for the love of..." Rarity said impatiently. "No! Rainbow Dash. Don't you remember that the university needed a new Gym teacher?" "Oh yeah!" Rainbow said. "Are you saying we finally got one?!" "Oh... we not only got one darling," Rarity responded smugly. "We got the Gym teacher. You know what I'm saying?" "Rarity, talk with normal words," Applejack said. "Ugh, I just came from Miss Luna's office, and... I saw him," Rarity said dreamily. "You should have seen him. Tall, strong, steady, and... dashing." "Oooh, dashing," Pinkie said. "Kinda like a king or something?" "You could say that," Rarity answered. "Ew, Rarity!" Rainbow said disgustedly. "That's a teacher you're talking about." Fluttershy stood frozen when she heard that. "Oh, grow up Rainbow!" Rarity said. "It's just a minor crush. There's nothing wrong with that. And I'm just saying he's attractive." "I thought ya said 'dashing'," Applejack joked. "Oh shush," Rarity said. "I bet all of you would've had the same reaction if you'd saw him." "Well, we'd have certainly been more suttle," Rainbow joked. AJ chuckled. Rarity huffed crossing her arms. "Alright, that's enough girls," Twilight said. "It's a good thing that we have a new Gym teacher but we've got a Gala to prepare!" "You know we'll be doing that Twilight," Rainbow Dash said jokingly. "But Miss 'Goo goo' eyes here, doubt it!" "Oh, stop it!" Rarity said. "C'mon girls," Applejack said. "Let's finish this." "YAY!" Pinkie said. "More decorations!" The friends started walking away, but Fluttershy went to Rarity before following the others. "Um... Rarity," Fluttershy said. "You don't actually... have feelings for this teacher, do you?" "Oh, goodness! Of course not darling!" Rarity said chuckling. "I was only saying that he was very attractive. There's no harm in that. It's just a fact. Besides, I'm going with that nice gentleman of Fancy Pants. He graduates this summer." "So... you don't think that... having feelings for a teacher is... wrong?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, there is a difference in being attracted to and having feelings for someone," Rarity said. "The first is just a crush, but the second leads to falling in love." Fluttershy almost fainted when she heard that word. Love. She never even thought about that possibility. Is that was she was feeling? All those times she blushed when she saw him, all those times he made her laugh, the way her heart fluttered when she was with him, and the reason why she was thinking of him and caring about him all the time. Was she... was she falling in love with Discord?! Her teacher?! "And there's nothing wrong with having feelings for a teacher," Rarity continued explaining. "We're all adults here. Is not immoral or illegal. But there are rules about it. Any teacher or student who breaks it could be fired or expelled for sure." Fluttershy's eyes widened. She completely forgot about that. "Why do you ask?" Rarity asked curiously. "Oh... I... I just..." Fluttershy said quickly. "I was just worried that is what was happening to you." She hated lying to her friends, but she couldn't talk about this with them. Not yet, anyway. "Oh my dear Fluttershy," Rarity said. "Don't you worry. I love how selfless you are, but you have nothing to worry about. I'm not that hopeless. I have my head on the ground. Now come one, let's go help the others." Fluttershy just noded. She was having too many thoughts right now. She was in trouble. "Wait, you want me to be what?" Discord was laying on his bed holding his old cellphone, with Smooze laying on his stomach. They just have finished their therapy session, which was pretty much Discord talking about his confused feelings for Fluttershy and stuff. Smooze loved Discord but he was getting tired of the same topic. Those two really need to hook up. he thought. "I said I need you to be a chaperone at the College's Gala," Celestia said through the cell phone. "Trust me, you're the last person Luna wanted, but I think it'd be a chance to learn how things are done here and to get to know other students. Also to be responsible." "Yeah, because I'm an expert at that," Discord said sarcastically. "Should I tell Luna she was right?" Celestia asked teasingly. "You'd love that wouldn't you?" Discord said. "Fine. I'll be a chaperone. So, how does that work?" "You just have to be at the Gala and make sure no student breaks any rules," Celestia said. "And report to me or Luna any sight of trouble." "Do you even know me?" Discord asked. "In other words, you want me to be a fun killer." "Pretty much, yeah," Celestia responded. "Ugh, am I allowed to have any fun?" Discord asked. "Can I bring some drinks or food?" "What?! No! Absolutely not!" Celestia said. "Discord, you must avoid and forbid all of these things! "Can I at least dance?" "With whom?" Discord's eyes widened. That's when he realized something. "Uh... never mind," he answered quickly. "Don't worry, I'll do it. I'll chaperone or whatever. Anyway, thanks for letting me know. See ya, bye!" "Wait, Dis..." Celestia began to say, but Discord already hung up. He sat on his bed and grabbed Smooze excitedly. "This is it Smooze!" Discord said to his puppy, who just stared at him. "This 'College Gala' is the thing I just needed. Time to figure out these feelings once and for all!" "Man, you're more oblivious than I am!" Smooze said in his head, while Discord kept hugging him. > Chapter IX: The night of our lives (Part I) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- He didn't like many things, but the one thing that he hated the most was when his plans got changed. He was supposed to be a chaperone for the Gala night, but because of some other teacher, he couldn't. That was the perfect night to sneak into the Dean's archives and find that traitor once and for all. One would think he would run into him at some point, but this college was bigger than it looked. After all those gym classes he had, the lunch breaks, and teacher's meetings; NOTHING. Not a single trance of him! And he couldn't ask around, it would have looked too suspicious. Not to mention, the bastard probably changed his name. Well, he couldn't complain that much. There were some pretty attractive young ladies to stare at in all those classes. Oh, what he could do to every single one of them. Bet they would look amazing dancing on the pole. And then, he remembered last class, with that particular group of students showing up. Some weird girls, one of them loving the running exercise, some others just kept staring at him; some flirty others curious. But there was one of them that caught his attention. A beautiful young girl, with light pink hair and an innocent attitude. He loved good girls because he knew how to make bad girls out of them. He couldn't stop picturing her. Those were the times... Until that traitor ruined everything. Sombra began to shake off anger a little, but he had to keep it together. At least for now, he was still in the field. He will find him. But in the meantime, he was gonna have some well-deserved fun... starting with that little pretty lady. Discord looked around him. He was in a... garden? No, a park! It was a huge park! There was not a soul there, just him and the sound of the birds singing. Then he heard a sweet humming from behind, like a beautiful little melody calling him from afar. He turned around, trying to look for the origin of that sound. He ran towards it and suddenly stopped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was Fluttershy, wearing a simple white yellow dress, standing a few feet in front of her. She was playfully looking at him, walking toward him. Discord was frozen, staring at her in awe. It felt like the whole world has just disappeared. When she was finally in front of him, he tried to talk, say anything, but before he knew it, she grabbed his face gently and pressed her forehead against his. The two of them were staring at each other's eyes. Fluttershy's eyes were like a teal ocean, where he could swim in forever. Discord's eyes were red as rubies, and she got lost in its intensity. They stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, but then Fluttershy's eyes started to close and she began to lean in slowly. Discord, to his surprise, didn't panic, didn't pull away. He didn't even care if anyone could see them, he didn't care if she was his student or if what they were doing was wrong, he couldn't resist anymore. So finally relieved of all guilt, he wrapped his arms around her back and waist, pressed her against his chest, and started to lean in too. Their lips were only inches away, allowing them to feel each other's breath. Discord was hugging his pillow tight as he was kissing it passionately. Smooze could hear the moans from his master as he continued his make-out session with the pillow. The puppy just rolled his eyes hopelessly and covered his ears with his little paws, trying to ignore his master's moans. After a few minutes of kissing noises, Discord opened his eyes; wanting to see Fluttershy's beautiful face; only to realize he was hugging a pillow covered in saliva. His eyes widened and threw the pillow away from him. "GAH!" He sat on his bed, shocked, looking at the pillow with wide eyes, and trying to catch his breath. Smooze just looked at him, with a deadpan face. "Wha... What was that?!" Discord yelled, still shocked about what just happened. "Why... why did I dream that?" "Gee, I don't know..." Smooze said on his mind. "Maybe because you're totally in love with this girl?!" Discord stood up, still confused, and went to the bathroom. He took some water in his hands and washed his face. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself again. He looked in the mirror. "What is wrong with me?" he said, feeling a little ashamed, "Why would I dream that? She's my student for Pete's shake! And half my age! I can't be thinking about her this way!" Smooze kept staring at him, with a "Seriously?" look. His owner meant well but he could be so blind sometimes. Discord rubbed the bridge of this nose and sighed. "Okay, I'll just... keep my distance for a while," he said. "Maybe this feeling will go away by the time of this whole 'Gala' thing... Hopefully." Smooze barked and Discord looked at him. He carried him and went to the kitchen. "Sorry, buddy," he said. "I'll make breakfast." As Discord got on cooking, Smooze sat on the floor, smirking a little. "Oh, he's gotta it bad..." the puppy said. Two weeks have passed and the great night finally came. The gym was decorated, people were taking photos, the food and drinks were amazing and the music was just perfect for an entertainment environment. Everybody was ready for tonight; except for two people. After their moment at the park weeks ago; and that dream Discord had; Discord and Fluttershy were acting awkward and weird towards one another. Even though Discord said he would try to keep his distance, it was hard with those conflicted feelings not only he was having. Fluttershy tried not to look at him at Chemistry Class, Discord asked Celestia to let him leave class early some days, and their tea parties were cancelled a few times the last few days. It wasn't that they didn't want to see each other anymore, but they didn't know how to act 'normal' after the way they both have been feeling. They didn't want to give the wrong idea or say something weird, so avoiding each other was the best way; and by 'best', they meant easy, for a few days at least. But now, their plan was over. The Gala was tonight! Whether they were ready or not, they were gonna see each other tonight. The tension, not to mention spark, between them was already awkward enough. Now being in fancy clothes, with music and dancing... This was going to be harder than they thought. Fluttershy was hugging her pillow, with a smile on her face, as she was dreaming happily. Angel was with his arms crossed, with a annoyed olook in his face. He knew why her owner was so happy, and he hated it! He looked at her phone, seeing the time. "Well, it's been more than 20 minutes. I'm calling it. " he said. He hopped off the bed and went to the alarm clock. He put it on sound on and it began ringing. Fluttershy's eyes open widened, jumped off startled and almost fell out of bed. She looked around, trying to calm herself down. Angel turned off the alarm and went to her side. "About time you woke up." he said, with his arms crossed. "Angel!" Fluttershy yelled, mad. "Why on earth would you do that?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" "Oh, your heart's been attacked alright" Angel replied. "Attacked by Cupid's stupid arrows! You dreamt about him, didn't you?!" Fluttershy's face turn completely red. She turned around, trying to hide it, but it was so obvious. "Um... who?" "Oh, please! Don't play dumb! You're too smart for that!" Angel replied. "Fluttershy, this is serious! A crush is one thing, but this?! You haven't been focusing on your homework, you spend hours daydreaming while voluntering at the vet, you lie to you're parents when they asked you what's new on your weekly videocall, and worst, I... I feel like you've forgotten about me..." Angel give his back to her, with his arms still crossed. Fluttershy looked at him, feeling guilty. He was right. This was more than a college crush, it has been for a while. Guess she just needed her trusty bunny to make her realize how these feelings have affected her. Her life and her relationship with her loved ones. Specially Angel. Fluttershy grabbed gently Angel in her hands and hugged him. Angel stayed still for a while, but then he gave him and hugged her back. "I'm sorry Angel. I really am." she said, still hugging him. "You're right. I have been distracted lately. Hiding this secret from my friends, my family, the rest of the students, and especially Discord. And I guess, since I don't hide it from you, I used our time together to daydream about my feelings. I've been so focused about what I'm gonna do, that I didn't give the atention you deserve. Can you forgive me?" Angel pulled away and looked at her, smirking. "Only on one condition." he said. "That you do something about the way you've been feeling about this guy! It's becoming more than obvious and you just can't keep it a secret forever!" Fluttershy smiled and kissed him on his head. "Of course." Fluttershy said. "I know Angel. I can't keep this up. It's been hard enough trying to avoid him the last few weeks. I'm having a hard time focusing on class, and I miss having tea parties with him. Or just talking to him. Oh, he must have been feeling so lonely lately. And I don't really have an excuse. I just hoped that, by not seeing him much, the feelings would go away, but they're stronger now! I miss him! So much! I think about him all the time! Wondering what he's doing or how is he feeling! What's wrong with me?" Angel sighed and looked at her seriously. "I'm afraid you're in love, Flutters." he said. "Whether you like it or not." Fluttershy looked at him for a few seconds, and then shyly said. "I... I think I like it." Angel smiled at her, actually happy for her. She returned the smile. "So... no what?" the bunny asked. Fluttershy closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. She opened her eyes and looked back at him. "Now, I get ready for the Gala tonight," she said as she got up. "And take a leap of faith." "Wait, you mean... telling him how you feel?!" Angel asked concerned. "Not that I don't admire your new confidence, but isn't that like, a little too soon? You have just figured it out." "Yeah, thanks to you." Fluttershy said, with a grateful tone. "But I've been feeling this way for a while, and now that I know for sure, I have to do something about it. I've let Discord think that I don't care about him anymore by trying to stay away from him. I have to makes things right, by being honest with him." "And what if he doesn't feel the same?" Angel asked. "What about your friendship with him?" "I've been keeping this hidden for so long." Fluttershy answered. "My heart can't take it anymore." "But could it handle being broken?" "Only one way to find out." Angel looked at her owner shocked, and then smiled with pride. Then, he jumped next to her with determination. "Well then." he said. "If you're gonna woo this guy, you need to look your very best! Lucky for you, that's where I shine. Let's get you ready for tonight!" Fluttershy smiled at her bunny and the two fo them got to work. "Oh, I forgot." Fluttershy said to Angel. "Since we're all gonna be back late, all the pets will stay at Pinkie Pie's place for the night." "Wait, what?!" Angel yelled. When Discord finnished making dinner, he gave Smooze his bowl and then sat down, still thinking about the way he was feeling these last few weeks. He felt guilty for avoiding Fluttershy lately, wondering what she must think about him, but he just couldn't act normal around her anymore. Everytime he looked at her, his palms would sweat and his heart would beat faster than a mouse's. This has never happened to him before. Sure, he was a teenager once. He wasn't known only for his detention record, he was also considered as a bad boy, in high-school and college. Even after he dropped out. But then, he mature a little bit and learn the hard way that girls shoulnd't be treated that way. That they're not toys or play things, but people with feelings. Of course, he has never seen Fluttershy that way, on the contrary. He felt nothing but respect, admiration, compasion and love for the young girl. No, no girl. Flutterhsy was a beautiful and elegant young woman. Hold on a minute! Did... did he just mentally said "love"? As in, romantically? As in, he's falling in LOVE with her? No! No, that can't be! Could it? He's never felt this way before. And besides, what's NOT to love about Fluttershy. She's not just beautiful, but kind, gentle, a great listener, adorable, funny and she accepts him for who he is, no judgement. Well, at least, for what she knows. Discord shiffted when that thought came to mind. So far, he has told Fluttershy about his panic attacks, about the bad decisions he's made and that he's seen horrible things on his past life, but that was it. Nothing specific about the things he saw, he knew, he did... Oh gosh, he did awful things... He didn't mean to. He didn't know any better, he didn't know what was really going on! And as soon as he figured it out, he ended it! He left it all behind. He has changed! But would Fluttershy believe that? He can't risk it. He's lucky enough to have her as a wonderful friend. He can't risk losing her for something about the past, something that has nothing to do with him anymore. But he has to tell her how he feels, right? "Great!" Discord said sarcasticlly, "Now I have TWO secrets! Secrets are normal between friends, right?" He looked down at Smooze, who was still eating his food with glee. Discord rolled his eyes. "Never mind," he said, "I don't even now what to think or feel right now." He then stood up, determined and said. "All I know is that this 'Gala' thing will be the perfect oportunity to figure out these feelings once and for all!" Smooze looked up at him and rolled his eyes again. "This guy is hopeless." "Now, I better go change." Discord said, going to his room. "Gotta look my best tonight! Oh, and, by the way Smooze, I might return late, so you're staying at Matilda's tonight." Smooze eyes widened in worry. "No! No that old grumpy guy! He doesn't let me sit on the couch!" It was finally night time; 7:30pm to be precise, and everyone was excited. The girls were at the limo that Twilight managed to rent thanks for her extra work at college, making their way to the gala. They were all set and ready for the best night of their lives. At least, most of them were feeling ready. Fluttershy was kind of out of it, staring at the window of the limo; still thinking about what she was gonna do about Discord. Her friends were too busy being excited to notice her concern. "Ooooohhh! This is so exciting! Just a few more hours, and we'll be dancing at the Gala!" Pinkie said happily while fixing her curls. "I just can NOT wait to show off my beautiful designs!" Rarity said while putting on makeup. "I've made them, especially for all of us!" "And we appreciate it Rarity," said Twilight while combing her hair. "I still CAN'T believe you guys ditched me for a bunch of guys!" Rainbow said while playing cards with AJ. "Oh relax, Dash," Applejack replied. "Ah've already told ya, we can hang out together at the Gala." "Could it be also after?" Dash asked. "I had plans after the Gala for all of us but now it's gonna go to waste." "Sure." Rarity smirked at what was going on in there, but just as she finished her makeup, she noticed Fluttershy in the reflection of her hand mirror. She turned around and saw her friend looking at the window, a little out of it. She stood up a little, without hitting her head, and walked to her. "Fluttershy," Rarity asked touching her friend's shoulder. "Are you alright?" "Oh, Rarity!" Fluttershy said surprised after turning her head around. "Y-yes... I'm fine... I was just... looking at those birds..." Rarity sat next to her. "Darling, you can tell us anything," she said. "We're your friends." "Yeah, Flutters!" Rainbow said. "You've been off for the last weeks." "I... I'm just... excited for the Gala." Fluttershy responded. Pinkie gasped dramatically. "OH... MY... GOSH..." she yelled "Fluttershy... do you have a... DATE?!" The rest of the girls gasped too and looked directly at Fluttershy, who had her eyes widened and her face red. "Um... Uh... I... I..." Fluttershy tried to say while trembling a little. "Oh dear, I think I just spill the beans." "Woah... never thought THAT would happen," Rainbow commented. "Rainbow!" Twilight yelled. "What?" Rainbow said. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just... I didn't know you were interested in dating, Flutters," "I... I'm not!" Fluttershy said. "I-I mean,... I don't have a date... but..." "But there IS someone you want to be with? At the gala, perhaps?" Rarity asked smirking. Fluttershy just blushed, trying to avoid eye contact. "Awwwwww..." Pinkie said. "That's so cute! Who's the lucky guy? Or gal? Are they from school? Do we know them? Do they feel the same?" "Pinkie, calm down!" Applejack said covering her mouth with her hand. "One thing at a time!" "First things first," Rarity said, sitting next to Fluttershy, who was still covering her face with his hands out of embarrassment. "Who are you so excited about seeing at the gala, darling?" All her friends looked at her, waiting for an answer. Fluttershy began to panic. She has been caught. She couldn't hide it anymore. It became more than obvious that she was thinking about someone... they just COULDN'T know who! Not yet anyway. She has just decided what to do with this whole thing with Discord. She didn't like lying to them, but she couldn't tell them everything, not yet, at least. She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and looked at them, still waiting for her answer. "I am hoping to see someone at the gala..." she said. "But I can't tell you who," "What?" Rainbow asked. "Why not?" "There's nothing to be ashamed of, sugar," Applejack replied. "Yeah. We're your friends. You can trust us," Twilight said. "I do trust you, girls." Fluttershy said. "This has nothing to do with that. It's just... there are some things I need to clear out first." "Oh, darling," Rarity said. "I completely understand what you're saying. You've never felt this before, and you don't want to get your hopes up. I've been there," "Really?" Rainbow asked. "When?" "This is not about me!" Rarity answered. "The point is, figure out what you want with this misterious person and then, TELL US EVERYTHING!" "Uh... sure," Fluttershy said timidly. "Thank you for understanding girls," "Of course," Twilight said. "Anytime. And besides, this night is to have fun, not to worry about things to work on." "Woah, Twilight," Rainbow commented. "I think that's the first time I've heard you say that!" "Well, get ready for some more!" she replied. "I've been practising some moves!" "Yeah, can't wait to see THAT!" Pinkie said, jokingly. All the girls laughed with Twilight blushing. Fluttershy giggled with her friends for a while, but her thoughts went back to her situation. She was glad her friends gave her space and respected her decision not to talk about it, but she did want to do that! And apparently, the only one she could talk to was the same person she has been avoiding these past weeks. The limo parked in front of the building door and the girls It was like being in a fairy tale. All the walls were decorated, balloons hanging in the ceiling and just floating on the floor, the food was amazing and the music was set to party! Once the limo stopped, the girls got out and stayed awed by how amazing the place looked. It didn't look like a college gym, at all! Before she could even notice, her friends went either to their dates, the food table, or the dance floor. Without realizing it, she was all alone at the entrance. Usually, she wouldn't mind. Normally her friends would go have fun dancing or talking to others, but afterwards; they always came together at the end of the night. But this time, she was all alone with her complicated thoughts. And the only person she needed to talk to about, wasn't there yet. However, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the doors to the gym opening, revealing Discord in a weird but fancy tuxedo. Well, fancy on his terms. t was orange with a top hat. He looked around, trying to find the food section. Hopefully, with a full stomach, he would have the courage to face Fluttershy again. Once he got there, he was drinking some punch while looking around the place, seeing how the rest of the students were having fun. He was supposed to keep them in line, but he hated being a fun killer. So far, no rules were broken. He keep turning around until he looked at Fluttershy from afar. His eyes widened and spit out his drink to the side. He coughed a little trying to catch his breath and pull himself together. He looked at her again, for what it felt like hours when there were only a few seconds. She looked like a goddess of nature, just glowing with that natural beauty of hers. For a moment, nothing mattered except her, and he didn't care about those confused feelings anymore or trying to avoid her like the past two weeks. It was time to face this, once and for all. He just couldn't avoid this any longer. Avoiding facing his problems is what got him in those things in the past, he wasn't gonna let that happen again. Before, he could react, young students and even a few teachers were having the time of their lives on the dance floor. Music out loud began to play and there was an impossible crowd blocking his way to her. He saw from afar how she covered her ears due to the loud volume. Discord began to make his way through the crowd until he finally reached the corner of the room Fluttershy was standing, still covering up her ears. He touched gently her shoulder, but he accidentally scared her and she turned around freaked out. Discord jumped a little. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm sorry!" Discord said holding his hands up. "I- I didn't mean to scare you. I just... saw you from back there, and... wanted to say hi," "Discord!" Fluttershy began to shake a little but tried to calm down. "It... It's okay. Don't worry. I'm... glad you're here." Discord looked at her and smiled kindly. It already feels like old times they chat. "Of course! I get to be chaperone tonight, so I'll be here all night long!" he said excitedly. "So, why are you over here? All alone? Didn't your friends come with you?" "Oh no, they're here. It's just..." Fluttershy said, looking from afar at her friends having fun with their dates or with each other. "Normally at parties, when some of them have dates, they spent time with them or go have their fun on their own. But we always get together for a group photo and then dance together at the end of the night." "Oh, okay. I was worried you were on your own tonight," Discord said, secretly glad he would spend some time alone with her. "So... where is your date?" "Oh, um... I-I don't have a date..." Fluttershy said, looking away from him. Discord's eyes widened surprised but also relieved. He was kind of glad about that. "Really? I would think every guy in college would like to ask you out," he commented. "Or girl. Anyone really. You're a very... nice girl." He almost said beautiful but had to be subtle tonight. Fluttershy blushed a little and looked away. "Well, thank you, but I'm okay. I'm not the kind person who is meant to be in the spotlight. At least, not by myself." "Oh, well. You shouldn't do what makes you uncomfortable." Discord replied. "But wouldn't you get bored? Not doing anything at a party?" "I am doing something," Fluttershy said, looking at him sweetly and smiling. "I'm talking to you." Discord's eyes widened and then smiled kindly. "Discord, I'm sorry we haven't been able to talk much these last few weeks." she said. "But I would love to make up for lost time tonight. Unless you would rather do something else..." Fluttershy said a little worried. "No! No!" Discord quickly responded. "I would love to. I'm also sorry for not seeing you lately. But we couldn't have been given a better opportunity. As a chaperone, I was just gonna stand here and watch over the students, but doing that while talking to you is so much better. It's a win-win!" Fluttershy smiled at him. They both turned to each other and started talking like they always did at their tea parties. It was like the whole world disappeared around them. It was like those two weeks never happened. Things couldn't be better. Discord began telling new jokes, some about the way the students were dancing; making Fluttershy almost spit her drink. And Fluttershy would tell her the new things she learned from her hours volunteering at the vet. Discord could feel her passion and love for animals, it was her dream. He couldn't remember the last time he felt that kind of determination or hope. That is until he finally decided to turn his life around. "So then I told him 'If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to leave!'" Discord said, "And of course as soon as Smooze was walking out the door, I fell on my knees, begging him to forgive me." Fluttershy covered her mouth, trying to hold back her laughs. "And did he?" "He's still living with me, isn't he?" Discord chuckled, "I'm telling you, that little rascal knows he's too adorable to get mad at." "He sure is," Fluttershy said, remembering her little "chat" with the pup. "But he cares about you. A lot" "Well, I hope. I don't know where I would be without him," Discord commented. "He helped me with some serious stuff." "Like... those panic attacks you told me about?" Fluttershy said. "Well, yeah, but other things too." "Like what?" Discord almost mentioned the feelings and thoughts he had about her, but he stopped himself. Forget that! Focus! "Oh you know, stuff..." he mentioned trying to hide his blush on his face. "Sometimes I need some time on my own, but I don't want to be alone. You get what I'm saying?" Fluttershy blushed a little after hearing those words, since that's exactly how she felt. "Yeah... I do," she replied shyly. "Wait, really?" Discord asked surprised. "But you have your group of friends, your family, even the animals! How can you ever feel lonely?" "Well, I am grateful to have all those important people in my life, of course," Fluttershy replied. "And I will never regret having them. But I don't see my family often and my friends, as amazing as they are, they have their own lives. I guess I just want someone I could trust and share my fears, my passions, my vulnerable moments and best moments with. I just want..." "To feel safe." Both of them said at the same time. Both of them looked at each other after saying that, with eye's wide open, a little shocked. Then, Fluttershy's gaze softened and smiled at him sweetly. Discord relaxed and did the same. The next hours went flying by as the two besties continued to talk, making up for those lost weeks. It felt so natural and simple to talk to each other, they completely forgot about their worries and fears. The two of them, together, chatting, understanding each other; it just felt right. Time passed and, before either of them noticed, it was time for the last dance of the night and to annouce the "Ball Dance" moment of the night, the moment when students with their partners do the most elegant dance to represent the fancy ball. As the music changed to a more calmy and slow instrumental song, all of the couples; including Fluttershy's friends; began to head in to the dance floor: Twilight with Flash Sentry, Pinkie Pie with Cheese Sandwich, Rarity with Fancy Pants and Rainbow with Applejack (even though they kept on insisting that they were dancing just as friends). Fluttershy watched from afar all of her friends with their dance partners dancing slowly to the music. She was happy to see their friends were having fun, but couldn't help but feel left out. Without her even noticing, Discord came back to stand nextto her with two drinks on his hands. "Hey! I got you this! Kay kay insisted that the drinks should be non-alcoholic," he said. "BUT, I got a little something in my pocket to give it a little extra flavor." he chuckled. "Just kidding, it's RedBull." He chuckled one more time and then noticed Fluttershy lookig at the dance floor, a little out of it. He frowned a little and got closer. "Fluttershy? You okay?" he asked. Fluttershy jumped a little, not noticing he arrived before. "Oh! yes!" she replied. "Sorry, I got distracted. Yes, thank you." She grabbed her drink and took a little sip. Discord ketp on looking a her, a little nervous. "Are you alright, dear?" he asked. "You seemed a little off." "I'm fine," Fluttershy said. "It's just, I was hoping to join my friends in the dance floor at some point. But now the night is almost over and I never got to dance." "Oh, I'm so sorry." Discord said. "I didn't mean to keep you away from your friends. I just had so much fun just talking to you and..." "Oh no! No, don't" Fluttershy said almost too quickly. "Don't apologize. I had fun too. Time jus went away, you know. I loved talking to you too." "Really?" Discord asked. "Of course." Fluttershy answered. The both of them stayed staring at each other, smiling warmly and then look at the dance floor again. As the instrumental music began to end, Discord looked at Fluttershy in a sutble way, thinking on a way to make up for keeping her from dancing. He could NOT believe he was about to do this, but he didn't want Fluttershy to miss the most important dance of the night. He took a deep breath, comb his hair with his hands and turned to face her. "Well, the last I can do is offer you one dance this night." He said handing over his hand to her. "May I, my dear?" Fluttershy looked at it and then looked up at him. She could have sworn there were sparkles and a hevane light around him. She stared at him with wide eyes for a minute, then snapped out of it before Discord could notice. She put her hand on his and looked at him one more time, smilling. "Y-yes. Of course." Discord smiled warmly at her and then they got closer to the dance floor. Not at the center, since they didn't want to get in the way, but just near the corner, where the lights were lower. They didn't want anybody looking at them and start rumors. Just as they got into position, a new song started. Discord put kindly his arms around Fluttershy's waist; his hands right on her hips; and Fluttershy put her arms around his neck, her hands resting softly on his shoulders. And they began to move slowly at the rithym of the song. As the music began to play, Fluttershy and Discord were staring into each other's eyes, forgetting the whole world around them. Where there weren't any other students or teachers, or people in general who could judge them or talk behind their backs. No rules, no limits, no rumors, no fears. As they were holding each other, they completetly forgot their situation or limitations. In that moment at the dance floor, they weren't student and teacher. They were friends, who grew into feeling more than appreciation, admiration and understanding for one another, and now, they both were wishing they could be more than that. They both felt something they're never felt before: Safe. Fluttershy laid her head on Discord's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her a little more tight, embracing her. One would think all eyes would be on them, but since they were dancing on a poor lighted corner of the dance floor, noone was staring at them. Feeling sure that this would be her only chance of the night, Fluttershy looked up again and stared at Discord for a few seconds. Discord looked down, confused and a little curious, wondering what she was thinking. But before he could ask her, she closed her eyes, leaned foward and puckered her lips. His eyes widened and he almost did the same, but just as they were about to close the gap between them, the lights came back and everyone was clapping at the Dj for such beautiful song. Fluttershy opened her eyes quickly, seeing Discord looking around. She got out of his arms and checked if someone was looking at them, but they were all still having fun at the party. Fluttershy then felt her entire face turn red and started breathing rapidly. Discord was also in shock; she tried to KISS him! And he almost kiss back! Not that he didn't wat to, but they were still on school grounds, they were in a public closed space, for crying out loud! How reckless can they be?! Did they want to get caught? Lucky for them, noone noticed. As soon as he turned to see at Fluttershy again, he saw her trembling and with a few tears in her eyes. Poor thing was also in shock. "H-hey," Discord said, trying to get closer to her. "It's okay... No one saw..." Hearing that, Fluttershy's eyes widened and then cover her mouth, trying to keep the sob coming out ofher mouth. She took a few steps back and then walk quickly towards the door and left the dance floor. Discord just stood there, in shock. Why would she leave? And then it hit him: She thinks he didn't want this!!! That it was a mistake! "I'm such an idiot..." he whispered. Discord looked around, seeing all the couples still dancing, a new song this time, and other teachers and workers near the other doors or the food court. No one noticed Fluttershy leave, not even her friends. They were still on the dance floor with their partners. He couldn't blame them for having fun but still, they could've check on their friend. He was about to approch any of them, since he recognized some of them from his Chemistry Class, but then he realized: if they do find her, they're gonna ask her what happened, and he knew Fluttershy wouldn't be able to lie to them. And right now, since they both didn't even know what was going on between them, he knew right now wasn't the best moment or place to discuss it with them. This was something he nedeed to resolve on his own, and talk to Fluttershy once and for all. No more talking with Smooze, no more secrets, no more avoiding each other, no more "confusing" dreams. He needed to clear things out with Fluttershy tonight. Making sure no one; especially Luna; was looking, Discord carefully made his way out of the dance floor, toward the door and left the place. He began running, looking for Fluttershy. He would run through all of campus if necessary, but he needed to find her and make things right. Not bad for his first college gala.