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Chapter Text

“I fear that I have misled you, my little ponies. I thought that by sealing him away I was doing the right thing. But I see now that it was nothing but selfish pride that drove me to such an extreme.”

Twilight and the other ponies exchanged worried glances. They didn’t like to hear their princess talk like this with such regret in addition to what she’d just revealed to them.

“I beg your pardon, your highness,” Rarity began. “But what has happened that you question yourself now?”

“Yeah,” agreed Applejack. “Discord did nothing but make all kinds of trouble, and not just for Ponyville.”

“Aww, I don’t think he was so bad. I kinda really really reeeeeeally miss the cotton candy clouds and the chocolate rain and the…”

“Pinkie Pie!”

“Okay, okay. Geez.”

“Princess Celestia, you know I would never question you, but Rarity has a point. Something’s happened. Something bad.”

“Aye, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia sighed heavily then turned away from her favorite student and her friends. “Follow me. Let me show you what my error in judgment has caused.” She led them out of the throne room and up a narrow flight of stairs that coiled along the walls like a serpent. Although they trusted their princess with their lives, the ponies felt their unease grow the higher they climbed. What could possibly be so bad that the Guardian of Harmony herself would even consider releasing Discord from his stone prison? They continued to ponder this even when the stairs gave way to smooth stone one more.

The Astronomy Tower, Twilight thought in awe. Despite her curiosity about the heavens and her diligence to learn all that she could, she had never ventured to this part of the palace before. Why on earth would she bring us up here?

“Behold, my dear ones.” The princess thrust her glowing horn skyward and the ceiling rippled away like a dream. In its place swirled images of planets, stars, moons, and fiery suns, all alien, all surreal. They seemed to almost dance together in a cosmic waltz nearly as old as time itself. It was beautiful. “Tragic, isn’t it?”

Rainbow Dash broke the silence first. “Are you kidding me? This is so awesome!”

“It’s so big,” Fluttershy whispered, torn between wonder and terror at realizing just how small she really was in the grand scheme of things.

Twilight tilted her head as she observed the illusion. Everything appeared to vibrate…no, tremble. “Something’s…off.”

“Right you are, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia turned pained eyes to the vision above. “The universe is out of balance. I had thought that by containing the spirit of chaos I was protecting not only Equestria, but the whole world. In my arrogance, I failed to see the bigger picture.”

The ponies waited in heavy silence until their princess’s sadness became too great to bear. Twilight stepped forward first. “Princess, we don’t understand.”

Celestia’s gaze softened as she looked upon her pupil, love radiating from her eyes. “By imprisoning Discord, not only once but twice, I have upset the balance of all things. There is no such thing as pure evil or pure good, dear ones. One cannot exist without the other, and to take one away is to destroy everything. There is no light without darkness. No joy without sorrow. No harmony…”

“Ooh! Ooh! I know this one! It’s candy, right?”

Applejack let out an exasperated sigh. “No, Pinkie Pie. There’s no harmony without chaos.”

“Pffft! Duh! That’s what I said! Discord’s the embodiment of disharmony and he’s the one who turned things into candy, heretofore the answer’s still candy!”

No one chose to argue; once Pinkie had her mind made up (especially if it involved sweets) nothing in the world could change it. “In order to set things right again I must release Discord.” She let the ponies express their disagreement (most vocally) for a moment before silencing them with a look. “Fear not, my little ponies. I will release him, but on my terms.” The hurt and regret soon left her voice as she found her inner strength once more. “If he wishes to remain in Equestria things will need to change…and that is why I need your help, dear ones.”

Chapter Text

The ponies tried not to fidget in the presence of their beloved princess. Fluttershy was the only one who succeeded, but only because she was too petrified to move. The white stone of Discord’s prison melted away until the frightful draconequus stood whole before them once again. “Ahh, your royal highness!” he exclaimed dramatically, not noticing any pony but Celestia. He leaned towards her until his nose almost touched hers. “Had a little change of heart, love? Finally decided to have a little rendezvous outside of the dream world?”

“Mind your tongue, Discord,” Celestia snapped.

“I thought that was your job, ‘Tia.”

“Enough.” To keep him from advancing further, the princess cast a containment spell that surrounded her foe in an aura of pink energy.

“Yes, have you no respect for our princess?”

Discord spun around in his new prison to face his addresser. “Ah, Rarity dear. And all your little friends. Come back to play a new game?”

“Discord!” He turned back at the sound of Celestia’s voice, a smile finding its way onto his face despite her tone with him. “As High Princess of Equestria, I have chosen to grant you leniency for your crimes against me and my subjects. I will end your sentence on one condition…”

“Do tell,” he crooned. “That I become a Boy Scout? Reenact the musical numbers from Hello, Filly!? Pledge myself to be the head of your personal guard, never to leave your side…actually…”

“Silence!” The ferocity in that one word frightened the ponies; never had they heard Celestia raise her voice in such a manner. Even Discord seemed mildly taken aback, but only for a moment. His smirk returned in full force, taking on a darker edge when Celestia spoke again. “If you wish to remain in Equestria, you shall curb your bad behavior and become a productive citizen of this kingdom.”

For the briefest of moments the world seemed to stop moving. Even the sun appeared to halt in the sky. Then Discord threw back his head and laughed; the sound was unlike anything the ponies had heard, even when he had tormented them with his mazes and illusions. Fluttershy ducked behind Applejack while the others tried to put on their brave faces in front of their princess. But Celestia remained unmoved. “Moi? Become a good little puppet? Oh, Celestia. You really have been cooped up in the palace too long, haven’t you? I’m the epitome of chaos! I do as I please, and not even you can make me change.” He leaned down and hissed out his next words between clenched teeth. “Not again, dear ‘Tia.”

Despite her fear, Fluttershy glanced up at the tone of his voice. Something about it struck her and brought her out from behind her braver friend.

Celestia sighed in resignation. “I’m afraid I must agree, Discord. But that is why my dear ones are here.” She nodded at the ponies and seemed to almost silently plea with them. “One of them must show you the error of your ways and help you learn to control your baser instincts.” She turned back to her rival before the ponies could argue. “Only then will I allow you to remain here. If you do not agree to my terms, then I will be forced to banish you…forever.”

While the others gaped at their beloved princess (for this was certainly not what any of them had had in mind), Fluttershy began to notice something. She wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but it was definitely something.

Discord stared at Celestia for a long moment, emotion warring in his eyes. “’Tia, what happened to you? You used to love my tricks and pranks. What made you into such a stick in the mud?”

“I grew up, Dizzy,” she whispered back, her gaze firm but her voice small.

That’s when it hit Fluttershy. “Umm, excuse me…”

“Growing up’s for chumps, Celestia,” Discord snorted. He seemed to forget that they had an audience. “You promised you’d never grow up.”

“We were children then. Things change.”

“Umm, Princess Celestia?”

“They don’t have to, ‘Tia. Why can’t we go back to the way things were?”

“E-Excuse me?”

“Dizzy, we can never go back. The past is done, and we must look towards the future. And if you wish to have a future here in Equestria, you will do me this one favor.”

“Hmph. It’s no favor when there’s nothing I get out of it, Princess!”

“EXCUSE ME!” All eyes turned to the normally quiet Pegasus, shock in their faces and some mouths open in awe. “Umm, what I mean is, umm…I’ll do it.”

“Do what, darling?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll help Discord. That is, if he wants me to.”

Celestia released the draconequus from his pink prison, satisfied that he was intrigued enough with Fluttershy’s offer to not flee. He slithered over to the small pony and held her stare. “What makes you think I’d want your help?” he spat.

“Well, umm…” She motioned him to come closer. She didn’t feel comfortable letting the others hear what she was about to say if it turned out to be true; she may not call Discord a friend, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings or damage his pride either.

The others, Celestia included, tried to listen to what Fluttershy whispered in his ear, but with no success. Whatever it was must have been amazing, though: Discord reared his head back in surprise, then hunched his shoulders in defeat, a single nod confirming Fluttershy’s suspicions…and arousing them in the others.

Chapter Text

“Okay, umm, that was good, but this time try to pass me without pulling my wing…or tripping me…or turning the ground into banana pudding…or-“

“I get it, I get it. No tricks. Lighten up, Fluttershy.” They started walking towards each other, an exercise in restraint for Discord to learn to leave others alone. After six failed attempts that almost had Fluttershy running from the room, this one seemed to be going pretty well. They were just a few feet apart now. So far, so good, she thought. She was about to start congratulating him on his progress as the tip of his tail disappeared beside her, until… “BOO!”

“EEEEP!!!” Out of pure instinct, Fluttershy dove under a blanket while Discord laughed. As the pony caught her breath, she felt herself become frustrated, something that only very rarely happened. She flung the blanket away and trotted up to Discord. “Discord, do you even want to stay in Equestria?”

That shut him up. “Well, it’s not exactly ideal, but…”

“No ‘buts’. Don’t you want to show Princess Celestia that you can be good?”

“Hmph. Like she would care anyway.” He crossed his paw and claw over his chest in an effort to look indifferent.

He didn’t fool Fluttershy for a minute. “I know she cares, and I know you do, too. It’s not a crime to be in love, Discord.”

The once-fearsome creature of anarchy and bedlam deflated right before her eyes. “Then why does it feel like it? I don’t know how to be ‘good’. Not sure I even wanna be.”

“But you’re trying,” Fluttershy comforted. She actually felt quite sorry for him. “That sure is something.”

Discord sighed and avoided her gaze. “Trying’s not enough. If I don’t turn into a goody-two-shoes like you, no offense…”

“None taken.”

“…she’ll send me away forever. I’d rather be turned to stone again. At least that way I could be kinda close to her.” The little Pegasus pony sat down and waited for her ‘pupil’ to continue; he needed space and she was more than patient enough to give it to him. “We used to do everything together when we were kids. She liked when I turned rivers into grape juice and trees into glass. She promised me we’d always be together. Promised that we’d never grow up into boring adults who never had fun.” He blinked as if remembering he had an audience. He actually looked embarrassed! “I don’t know why, but I feel like I can talk to you, Fluttershy.”

“You’ve had these things bottled up for so long. It’s good to let them out.”

“No it’s not. It’s like swallowing a barrel of hot sauce and throwing it all back up.”

“Ew.”

“’Ew’ indeed, sweetheart. I just want this over and done with.”

“You know it’s not that simple, Discord. It’s not a one-time thing. You’ve got to show her that you can be good for the long run. But how about instead of completely changing yourself, you just…take it down a notch? Not everything has to be a joke or something to tease.”

“Of course it does! Where’s the fun if it’s not?” She sent him a look that clearly said she wasn’t buying that. “Oh alright. We’ll do it your way. How do you suggest I ‘take it down a notch’?”

“Well, how about you use your powers to help others instead of hurting them?”

“Booooring! Next.” He stretched himself out in front of her, his chin resting in his claw in a portrait of relaxation.

“No, I mean, umm…okay. You turned clouds into cotton candy. What if you did that again, but instead of turning them all and just leaving them, you turn some and let the Cakes sell them in their shop.”

He looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “And get nothing out of it for myself? Where’s the profit for me?”

“Well, that’s the point. If Celestia sees you doing something nice without expecting anything in return, that would be a step in the right direction.”

Discord stroked his thin beard as he thought it over. This little pony who was terrified of a leaf blowing past her was actually trying to help him, the creature who had psychologically tortured her and her friends not too long ago. AND she’d figured out the real reason why he was so adversarial to the princess: not out of spite or true hatred, but out of twisted love. The whole thing would be funny if it wasn’t so depressing. He wanted nothing more than to stay in Equestria to be close to his childhood friend, his most hated and most cherished love, but the thought of turning into a force for good made him balk. Celestia wanted him free for some reason she wasn’t sharing. If he could get close enough, maybe he could coax the truth from her. “Alright, Fluttershy dear. I can try that. What other ideas do you have?”

Chapter Text

Celestia couldn’t believe her eyes! Everypony in Ponyville had gathered in the town square for an immense celebration…with Discord as the caterer?! She kept an eye on the treats he and the Cakes were handing out, expecting them to turn into spiders or explode into confetti at any moment. But none did. And…was he actually smiling? A real, proper smile? Perhaps I have misjudged him for far too long. She looked around at the ponies, all laughing and dancing and delighting over the sweets their one-time enemy provided. They looked genuinely happy.

As Discord entertained a small group of colts and fillies who had clustered around him (turning flowers into balloons and twigs into sparklers), Celestia approached the one who made this all possible. “Fluttershy, this is incredible! How on earth did you manage to reform Discord?”

“Oh, I can’t take all the credit,” the buttercup-yellow pony confessed. “I just gave Discord a few suggestions. He’s the one who thought of having this party.”

“Was he any trouble? It has been quite a few days since his release. I hope you weren’t too inconvenienced.”

“Oh, not at all, Princess! It was…rocky in the beginning, but he came around just fine. He’s like my little animal friends: just give them some space and understanding and they’ll become your best of friends.”

That sadness Fluttershy hated seeing returned to Celestia’s eyes, her swan-like wings dropping until the tips touched the ground. “Yes, I believe you’re right. Perhaps if I had taken the time to truly understand him I could have prevented all of this heartache from the beginning.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Princess. You did what you thought was right, just like you always do. Besides, I know how hard it was for you to imprison him in the first place.”

“You do?”

Fluttershy ducked her head and avoided meeting her princess’s gaze. “Umm, well, I kind of…had an idea when you released Discord.”

“What do you mean?” She took two steps forward and lowered her voice in an attempt to ease her subject’s discomfort. “You can tell me, dear one. I promise that whatever you say stays between us.”

“Well…umm, he’s been in love with you for a very long time, Princess. And I think you loved him, too.” Celestia felt torn between two thoughts: terror that her long-buried secret had been found out, and relief at not having to bear the weight of the burden alone anymore. Fluttershy quickly backtracked upon seeing the shock on her princess’s face. “Oh! That is, umm, I mean…I don’t mean to presume, Your Highness…”

“No, no. It’s quite alright, Fluttershy.” Celestia sighed heavily. “I did love him long ago, in my own way, however I knew nothing could come of such a union. But Discord refused to see the truth. That was partly…mostly the reason he turned against Luna and I. I couldn’t bear to kill him, so we turned him to stone to spare Equestria from the fury of his heartbreak,” she finished with barely more than a whisper. She shook herself suddenly, the movement startling the yellow Pegasus. “Well, that was a long time ago, and what’s done is done. You have worked magic, my little pony. Everyone looks so happy! And Discord is behaving admirably.”

Fluttershy knew Celestia was trying to avoid speaking of her relationship with the now-reformed draconequus, but she knew that her princess’s heart would not heal if the issue was simply ignored. She summoned all her bravery and one simple question: “Princess Celestia, do you still love him?”

Celestia paused for a moment to really look at her pupil’s friend. This little pony, who was frightened of a cloud’s shadow, had seen deeper into her heart than any other apart from Luna. And not only that, but she had done the impossible: she had tamed chaos himself. She marveled at the inner strength of this little filly and vowed to never underestimate her again. She couldn’t continue looking into those large aquamarine eyes another second longer; she feared she would lose her composure altogether if she did. Instead she turned her gaze to a laughing Discord. Her former friend met her eyes, not a trace of malice in their yellow-and-red depths. In that instant she thought of what could have been if she had listened to her heart all those years ago instead of turning away from her truest friend, if Discord had understood the sacrifice she had made for the greater good of the kingdom, if she had not been honor-bound to her duty as Princess at all. Although she could not change the past, perhaps now she and Discord could shape the future together as friends rather than enemies.

She didn’t get a chance to reply to Fluttershy’s question before Discord spotted her. “’Tia! Check it out!” She followed his outstretched paw and claw to see the giant cotton candy statue he had created in the shape of the Mysterious Mare Do Well, the Everypony hero that had brought Rainbow Dash back to her friends when her pride had threatened to overtake her.

Fluttershy quietly slipped away as Celestia approached Discord, a smile on the princess’s face all the while.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Discord! I trust you slept well?”

“Lovely morning to you, Princess. How does this glorious day find you?”

Celestia couldn’t help but grin at his theatricality; so like his younger self that she remembered so fondly. “Very well, thank you. I wanted to ask about the Midsummer Festival. How are preparations coming along?”

A poof of smoke revealed quite a long parchment with various doodles and notes scribbled across it. “Let us see.” Discord conjured a pair of reading glasses to look over his plans and a pencil to check them off as he went along. “Streamers that turn into butterflies, check. Cups that never empty, check. Lollipops that sing as you eat them, check. Check, check, check, check! All that’s left is to go over your personal guard detail…”

“That won’t be necessary, Discord. This is a festival, not a military action.”

The former spirit of chaos blinked at her. “Are you sure that’s wise, Celestia? Queen Chrysalis or even King Sombra might make use of the festivities to…”

“Enough, Dizzy.” The use of her old nickname for him silenced his tongue. “Yes, I have many enemies, but Luna, Cadence, and I can handle one day outside the palace without the aid of guards. Besides, we have something better.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“We have you.” She smiled at his look of stunned confusion. “I have not forgotten our friendship, Dizzy. You lost your way once, but you came back. You’ve lived in the palace for weeks now and haven’t turned back to evil…although you did scare poor Luna to death when you turned her room upside down.” They shared a laugh at the memory of Luna’s screech as she woke to find herself on the ceiling with no earthly memory of how she got there. “I’ll admit that I was skeptical about you reforming, especially after last time…” She looked away as she recalled her last attempt many years ago to make her friend good; it had failed miserably. He’d tricked her into thinking he’d changed only to turn against her once again. “But I know now that I needn’t have worried.”

“I had a good teacher in Fluttershy. And something to look forward to when I did give up being the bad guy.”

“What was that?”

He stepped forward and ran a single talon through a wayward piece of mane, pushing it back behind her ear. “Do you really need to ask, ‘Tia?”

Her eyes widened when she realized what he meant, but she didn’t back away. “Discord…”

“I know, I know. ‘We’re too different’, ‘I have duties that must come first’. I’ve heard it all from you before, ‘Tia. But I’m not one to give up so easily. I’m not going to give up hope.”

Celestia didn’t know what to say. What could she say? She thought she’d beaten her feelings for her childhood friend down, but then he says something like this. He’d changed just for her? He hadn’t given up hope that they could have something more than close friendship or bitter rivalry, so why had she? “Oh, Dizzy,” she sighed with a shake of her head, her heart and mind in turmoil yet again.

“Princess Celestia,” a new voice called. “May I speak with you regarding the festival?”

Thank the gods for small favors! she thought fervently. “Of course, Shining Armor. Just a moment. Discord, might we speak more about this later, after the festival?”

He stepped back and curled his long body down in a low bow. “But of course, princess. I am ever at your call!” She giggled at his dramatics, gracing him with a smile once more before joining her Captain of the Guard. She didn’t notice Discord slip away, nor hear the maniacal laugh that exploded from his throat once he was alone in the Astronomy Tower. “Oh, dear Celestia. You really think that you can change me again? Sorry, love, but not even you can do that.” He peered through the giant telescope at the distant planets and laughed at the way they trembled. “Chaos cannot be controlled, and to try is folly. You’ll see soon enough, princess.” He pulled away from the telescope and growled. “We could have been great together, ‘Tia. But you have this annoying obsession with wanting to control me. I’ll play your game for now, but when the universe cracks it’ll be on your head, not mine. I’m just doing what you want me to by being the ‘good guy’. I’m a patient guy, ‘Tia. Either you join with me and rule at my side, or you watch your precious balance come crashing down around you. In other words: I win.”

“Discord!” he heard her shout from the ground below. “We’re preparing to leave for Ponyville. Are you coming?”

He pushed his dark thoughts away in favor of a sickeningly sweet sing-song voice that would have made Pinkie Pie proud. “Cooooming!”