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Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn

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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_s3e11_keepcalmandflutteron_7820.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:[-He's ''[[MythologyGag BACK!]]'' All that's missing is the [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E13DejaQ mariachi band]].-][[note]]Oh, and just because we can't resist: [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar Zaba-caba-dabra! Granny's gonna grab ya!]][[/note]]]]
3
4->''"Hang on to your Elements, girls. It's gonna be a bumpy night."''
5-->-- '''Twilight Sparkle'''
6
7->Special Guest Star: Creator/JohnDeLancie as Discord\
8Story by Teddy Antonio\
9Written by Dave Polsky
10
11Princess Celestia calls Twilight and her friends to meet her on the outskirts of Ponyville and she's bringing along an important visitor. He's not only a lifeless stone statue, but also has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail: Discord! Seeing how the wicked spirit of chaos and disharmony turned Ponyville upside-down and nearly destroyed their friendship the last time they met, the ponies are naturally outraged. Princess Celestia assures them she has found use for Discord's magic if he can be convinced to use it for good of his own will. She commissions the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony for the job--particularly Fluttershy, because of her affinity for animals. The Princess adds she cast a spell on the Elements so they won't go missing again like last time.
12
13Reluctantly, the six use the Elements of Harmony to release Discord from his stone prison. Discord, having heard Celestia's plan, isn't the least bit keen about the idea of being reformed and gets right to work on changing the woodland critters around him. The ponies give him an ultimatum he can't refuse: behave or they'll turn him back to stone. He agrees to tone down his chaos and crash at Fluttershy's cottage so she can "reform" him, but not before bewitching a colony of beavers in Sweet Apple Acres behind everypony's backs...
14
15Fluttershy believes the key to turning Discord good is to befriend him by being as kind as she possibly can. Her friends have their doubts and promise to remain close in case anything goes wrong. They decide to make a back-up plan but unfortunately, they're unable to since Discord has torn out and eaten all the pages in Twilight's books containing information on spells that could reform him forcibly. Even so, Fluttershy is convinced that she's making progress with the trickster, and invites all her friends over for a dinner party to prove it. The party goes about as well as Fluttershy's friends expect, what with Discord bringing the tableware to life and playing pranks on everypony. Still, Fluttershy puts up with it all because, in her words, that's what friends do--and to the surprise of everyone, Discord seems genuinely touched that Fluttershy is willing to be the first friend he's ever had.
16
17The tender moment is ruined when Angel Bunny barges in and warns everypony that bewitched beavers have dammed up the stream at Sweet Apple Acres and flooded Applejack's orchard to the canopy. As it turns out, Fluttershy has seen Discord's dirty work coming and puts him to the test, demanding he return the orchard to normal. Discord agrees on the condition she remove her Element and never use it on him, which she accepts... and then he turns the flood into an ice skating rink. Discord gloats that his friendship with Fluttershy has left him eternally free of the Elements, but Fluttershy, still honoring her end of the deal, now refuses to acknowledge him as her friend. This doesn't sit well with Discord at all:
18
19->'''Discord:''' I'm Discord! The Master of Chaos! You think you can boss Discord around? You think I'm going to turn all this back because you say so? Because if I don't, [[ExplainExplainOhCrap I'll lose the one friend I ever had]]?
20
21Suddenly, Discord realizes that he ''does'' value his friendship with Fluttershy too much to lose it, and restores Sweet Apple Acres to its original, harmonious state. Everyone congratulates Fluttershy for accomplishing the seemingly impossible task of reforming the spirit of disharmony. Discord vows to Princess Celestia that he will use his powers for good rather than evil (''most'' of the time), while Celestia decides to put the Elements under Twilight's care from now on, just in case...
22
23----
24'''Note:''' [[OutOfOrder This is the eleventh episode of the third season, but the tenth aired.]]
25----
26!!Tropes:
27
28* AliceAllusion: Discord briefly dons a blue suit and top hat while having tea with Angel Bunny.
29* AnAesop:
30** Bad people can [[HeelFaceTurn change their ways,]] but don't expect them to completely abandon their entire personalities. For rehabilitation to work, you have to show that you're willing to meet them halfway and accept that they'll be, at best, ReformedButNotTamed.
31** One for Discord as well: Having friends means making compromises, you can't always have things go exactly your way or you risk losing them.
32* AndIMustScream: Discord makes it perfectly clear he is 100% conscious while turned to stone, although it doesn't seem to do much but mildly annoy him.
33* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Discord does this to ''himself'' when he asks Fluttershy if she thought he'd give up his WorldOfChaos for her sake. The moment he asks, he starts thinking about the question.
34-->'''Discord:''' You think you can boss Discord around? You think I'm going to turn all this back because ''you'' say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose ''the one friend I ever had''?
35* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: At the beginning of the episode when Celestia shows Discord to the Mane Six.
36-->'''Princess Celestia:''' I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc.\
37'''Rainbow Dash:''' If, by "serious havoc", you mean turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world!\
38'''Rarity:''' And tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves!\
39'''Pinkie Pie:''' And making yummy delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it ''anywhere in sight'' -- '''[[FelonyMisdemeanor NOT A SINGLE DOLLOP!]]'''
40* AsideComment:
41** Discord nods at the audience right after he casts a spell on a colony of beavers at the beginning of the episode.
42** Fluttershy turns to the camera and says "Oh dear" after Discord reveals he'll be living with her.
43* AsYouKnow: See above, with the Mane Six telling Celestia what Discord got up to in his last appearance. Justified by her decision to reform him being so inexplicable.
44* BadassFingerSnap: How Discord performs several of his magical tricks (at one point using his tail instead of the fingers). Considering his love for theatrics he might do it just for fun. Plus, it's an ActorAllusion to [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]].
45* BatmanGambit:
46** Celestia tasks the Mane Six to help reform Discord, but she believes Fluttershy can be the most successful. It works out in the end.
47** Fluttershy knew all along that Discord was only pretending to be reformed; she hoped that allowing him some measure of freedom and showing him kindness would help convince him to use his powers for good.
48** Discord repeats his shtick of trying to turn the Mane Six against each other, but it's just to distract them from his real plan to get Fluttershy to promise to never use her Element of Harmony against him, which she'd never break. [[OutGambitted Fluttershy's tactics are the only reason he's not ruling the world again at the end]].
49* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Discord genuinely reforms because Fluttershy was kind to him.
50* BecomingTheMask: Discord pretends Fluttershy's reforming him to trick her into promising not to use the Element of Kindness against him but after finding out she considers him a friend, he can't bring himself to lose that friendship by turning Equestria back into a WorldOfChaos.
51* BefriendingTheEnemy: Princess Celestia asks the Mane Six to deliberately free Discord, [[GodOfEvil the master of chaos]] and one of their [[BigBad most dangerous foes]] from the previous season, in order to befriend him.
52* BewareTheNiceOnes: Just because Fluttershy is being nice to Discord doesn't mean that she has forgotten what he is, and that he's trying to use her niceness against her. She has to bluntly remind [[WhatTheHellHero the rest of the Mane Six of this]] after she gets a lot of grief from them for appearing to be too soft on Discord.
53* BlushSticker: Fluttershy gets one when Celestia states how confident she is that Fluttershy's the right pony to reform Discord, and again when Twilight reaffirms this during her recap at the end of the episode.
54* TheBusCameBack: For Discord. He hasn't been seen since the season 2 premiere.
55* ButtMonkey: Angel's the target of quite a bit of Discord's abuse. [[LaserGuidedKarma He had it coming too]], for all the time ''he'' abused Fluttershy.
56* CallBack:
57** The Elements of Harmony are needed to release Discord from his stone prison, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 just as they were there to put him into it]].
58** Discord points out to Twilight that Celestia would be disappointed with her if she and her friends choose to use the Elements to return him to his stone prison instead of reforming him. Twilight retorts that Celestia would understand, making it so far the only point in the entire show where Twilight has taken Celestia's [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdintheHoof reasonable]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver and easy-going]] nature into account.
59** Right after Discord's released and starts messing around, Fluttershy doesn't hesitate to use "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E17StareMaster the Stare]]" on Discord to make him to behave. While it never fails to work on recalcitrant animals, [[NoSell chaotic entities are immune]].
60** Even though Discord ''and her friends'' think she's gullible, Fluttershy proves she [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown knows how to assert herself]] when necessary.
61* CassandraTruth: Twilight and Rarity don't believe Spike when he says that the "guest" accompanying Celestia is Discord. Then they see who's in that second chariot behind her....
62* CharacterDevelopment: By the end of the episode, Discord genuinely seems to have been reformed to some extent, rather than simply maintaining the status quo and having him petrified again.
63* ChekhovsGunman: The beavers, and by extension, the fact that Sweet Apple Acres could be flooded if the river running through it is dammed.
64* ContinuityNod: Fluttershy is identified -- by Celestia herself -- as being uniquely qualified to reform Discord. Back in "The Return of Harmony", Fluttershy was the only one of the Mane Six who wasn't susceptible to Discord's silver tongue; he only corrupted her by using magic to brainwash her.
65* CreditsGag: Tabitha St. Germain is the one who provided the voice to the gravy boat. It should be pointed out that the gravy boat is mute.
66* CreepyCrossdresser: Discord briefly dresses up as a little old lady to coo over how "adorable" it is that the ponies think they can reform him. Later he dons a pink fluffy robe as Fluttershy leaves her cottage for a bit. Discord being [[GreatGazoo Discord]], this is not creepy so much as hilarious.
67* CutenessProximity: Pinkie Pie's animated reaction to the cute, animated gravy boat.
68* DefeatMeansFriendship: In this case, Discord is defeated ''by'' friendship, in a manner of speaking.
69* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: Fluttershy invites the rest of the Mane Six to dinner at her cottage to prove that Discord can be civil.
70* DidYouActuallyBelieve: Towards the end, Discord taunts Fluttershy for thinking that she could ever get him to reform. Then he utters the words "Because if I don't, I'll lose the one friend I ever had!?" and begins to really reflect on them.
71** Fluttershy herself gets one when Rainbow Dash angrily declares that Discord is behind the chaos at Sweet Apple Acres. The yellow Pegasus snaps that of ''course'' she realizes that Discord has been playing her for a fool and is up to his old tricks--she simply ignored it in an effort to show him genuine kindness. This leads to a WhatTheHellHero moment where Fluttershy calls out her friends for thinking she was gullible and softhearted enough to be so easily manipulated.
72* DisapprovingLook: Discord dismisses Fluttershy's "[[DeathGlare Stare]]" as "your disapproving eyeballs" because it has no effect on him.
73* DisproportionateRetribution: Applejack insults a local beaver, that leads to him ''damming the Apple orchard'' in retaliation.
74* TheDissenterIsAlwaysRight: The main six start off convinced the villain Discord can only be changed through force, watching him with their Elements of Harmony at the ready to turn him back to stone if needed. But Fluttershy quickly realizes that trying to impose authority on Discord only gives him more pleasure in defying it. So, against the constant urges of her friends, she treats him with unconditional trust and kindness. This actually works, much to the surprise of everyone--most of all Discord himself, who's just manipulated the main six into a situation where they can't use their Elements on him again, only to realize he cares about Fluttershy too much to take advantage of his new position.
75* DistractedByMyOwnSexy: Rarity when she sees her reflection in Pinkie's hoof.
76* EasilyForgiven: Downplayed. Except for Fluttershy, The Mane Six ''haven't'' forgiven him, and even Celestia, who came up with the idea in the first place, decides to leave the Elements with the Mane Six, "just in case". Also, justified, since he had to earn their forgiveness and trust.
77* EvilIsNotAToy: When Celestia announces her plan to make use of Discord, the LaughablyEvil MadGod, the Mane Six insist that this is ''very'' bad idea, but go along with it out of loyalty to her.
78* EvilPlan: Discord plans to usurp Celestia's plan to redeem him into a plan to make himself safe from the Elements of Harmony and then, once again, recreate his WorldOfChaos. It backfires when he realizes he care about his friendship with Fluttershy.
79* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Near the end of the episode, after Discord succeeds in securing his freedom and Fluttershy declares that she is not Discord's friend, Discord begins to rant that he isn't going to undo what he's done even if it means losing the one friend that he's ever had... only to abruptly realizes that yes, as a matter of fact, her friendship ''does'' mean a great deal to him.
80* ExtremeDoormat: Self-enforced by Fluttershy, who plays nice with malicious prankster Discord in hopes he will genuinely come around. However, she draws the line at the end when Discord wrecks Sweet Apple Acres and declares that they are not friends.
81* FailedAttemptAtDrama: As Discord freezes Applejack’s farm, Fluttershy gallops angrily towards him, ready to call him out, only to slip in the ice. Discord can only ask her what her problem is.
82* ForcedMeme: One of the show's staff said that Discord will say something that would "make the fandom explode!" He says [[TitleDrop "Friendship is magic."]] Given the divisive reception of the episode (and the awkwardness of the line lampshaded by Discord's delivery of it), it didn't work out that way.
83* {{Foreshadowing}}: The Discorded beavers can be seen gathering materials for a dam in the background in a few scenes.
84** Additionally, Fluttershy is unflappably patient when dealing with the beavers harrassing Applejack originally, and even summons an apology from Applejack. However she scolds them when they [[ILied continue being spiteful]] and makes them fulfil their own end of the deal, making clear while Fluttershy is an ExtremeDoormat, she's won't play enabler forever.
85** Discord inviting Fluttershy to go water skiing and then ice skating with him shows that he'd come to truly value their friendship, even before he himself realizes it.
86* FriendToAllLivingThings: As if Fluttershy weren't an example enough already, the fact that she's willing to befriend the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Draconequomorphic Personification]] of chaos and disharmony has got to make her the biggest example ever. Even more impressively, she succeeds.
87* FullNameBasis: Mister Beaverton Beaverteeth.
88* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Fluttershy talks with Twilight about how she plans to reform Discord, Discord plays [[KeepAway keep-away]] with Angel Bunny's favorite couch in the background.
89* FurryReminder: Discord could have just disappeared the pages containing the spells, but instead, he eats them; one of the many animals he has characteristics of, the goat, is [[ExtremeOmnigoat well known for eating paper]] when finding it.
90* GiveMeAReason: Except for Fluttershy, The Mane Six are more than ready to use the Elements against Discord the moment he goes too far, and they make this very clear to him just moments after he's freed.
91* GoKartingWithBowser: Discord hosts a dinner party for the Mane Six to "prove" how well-behaved he's become.
92* GoodFeelsGood: As mentioned by Twilight, Discord, who by his own admission never had a friend (considering he was an EvilOverlord), discovers that friendship is more fun than lonely chaos-creation.
93* GoodIsNotDumb: Fluttershy.
94-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' You see Discord's behind all this, right?\
95'''Fluttershy:''' Oh, of course I do! Do you all think I'm a silly, gullible fool?\
96'''Others:''' Um, well... Er...\
97'''Rarity:''' [[BrutalHonesty Only in the sense of being silly and gullible.]]
98* GuileHeroine: Using her kindness alone, Fluttershy gives Discord the chance to experience firsthand how wonderful the magic of friendship is, and threatens to take that chance away from him if he continues his evil ways.
99* HandWave: Princess Celestia explains she placed magical wards on the the Elements of Harmony to prevent Discord from stealing them [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 like last time]]. As for why such wards weren't (seemingly) in place before Discord broke out and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls the next time an Element was stolen]], the reason is unexplained.
100* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Princess Celestia is counting on this, as she has tasked Fluttershy with bringing the reality-warping Discord to the side of good through her kindness alone.
101* HeelFaceBrainwashing: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Twilight seriously considers using magic to change Discord, as a backup plan if he can't be reformed conventionally. However, Discord is a few steps ahead of her and destroys the instructions for how to perform the spell.
102* HeelFaceTurn: It takes the entire episode, but in the end, Discord finally sees the value of friendship.
103* HeelRealization: Discord has one when he realizes Fluttershy's friendship means something to him and he can't bring himself to lose it by causing trouble.
104* HoldUpYourScore: Discord has clones of himself judging his skating. Naturally, they all give him a 10.
105* HolyHalo: Discord makes one appear above his head while feigning innocence during dinner.
106* HonorBeforeReason: The other ponies believe this is the case with Fluttershy. It's {{subverted|Trope}} since Fluttershy's [[IGaveMyWord absolute refusal]] to harm Discord is tempered by her refusal to be his victim. It makes all the difference in the world.
107* IGaveMyWord: Fluttershy removes her Element and swears never to use it on Discord if he fixes the flood at Sweet Apple Acres. She keeps her word even after Discord turns the flood waters to ice.
108* ItsAllAboutMe: Discord during his rant about how he can do whatever he wants. [[AnAesop The lesson]] he learns at the end of the episode is that having a friend means not always getting what you want.
109* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While he bullied the ponies in "The Return of Harmony", Fluttershy calls Discord "a real sweetheart once you get to know him".
110* KeepingTheEnemyClose: Discord, of all people, is entrusted to Fluttershy to remain under surveillance and be reformed, which he does.
111* KickTheMoralityPet: Discord mocking Fluttershy during the end. Realizing he's done this and risks alienating her because of it finally [[HeelRealization makes him realize that he]] ''[[HeelRealization does]]'' [[HeelRealization value her friendship too much to lose it]].
112* KirkSummation: Discord tries to prevent Twilight from ordering his re-imprisonment by saying how disappointed her beloved mentor would be in her if she did. Twilight makes it clear that they aren't falling for his manipulations again, and that Princess Celestia trusts them enough to know that, if they petrify him again, it's because he deserves it.
113* LaserGuidedKarma: Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth tries flooding Sweet Apple Acres all because of a small insult Applejack made to him and was quite callous to his overreaction. Discord mind-controlling him (and by extension his fellow beavers) could be interpreted as a penalty for him.
114* LastSecondChance: Offered by Princess Celestia to Discord. To the surprise of everyone, even Discord himself, he takes it.
115* LiteralistSnarking:
116-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' You big liar!\
117'''Discord:''' Now, look who's a liar. Anyone can plainly see that I'm not big at all. ''[camera zooms out to show [[VisualPun he's barely the size of Angel Bunny]]]''
118* LiteralMetaphor: Discord assures Fluttershy of the sincerity of his reformation while blowing a raspberry at Angel, becoming literally two-faced in the process.
119* LoveRedeems: Friendship and Kindness, in this case, but the effect is the same on Discord, who values his new friendship with Fluttershy enough to tone down his mayhem.
120* MadeMyselfSad: Not explicitly stated, but clearly the effect of Discord's final taunt towards Fluttershy is a sudden self-inflicted downer.
121* MassOhCrap: The Mane Six react with shock and dismay when they first see the Princess delivering Discord to Ponyville.
122* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Each of the outdoor scenes after Discord has been released shows the brainwashed beavers running through the background carrying logs, presumably for their dam. For example, while the mane ponies are discussing Fluttershy's invitation to dinner with Discord, the hypnotized animals can be seen floating by on a river with lumber they will use to flood Sweet Apple Acres.
123* MeaninglessVillainVictory: Discord secures his freedom by making Fluttershy promise to never use the Element of Kindness against him, thus neutralizing all of the Elements of Harmony, as they have to be used together--a promise she refuses to break because doing so would invalidate the trust and friendship they have built up. However, she makes it clear that if he returns to his old ways, their friendship is over, and Discord realizes that Fluttershy has worked her way into his heart enough that it isn't worth it.
124* MoralityPet: Fluttershy treats Discord well throughout the episode and, despite having only pretended to reform, he's shocked to find that she ''genuinely'' considers him a friend. As a result, her telling him she's not his friend anymore causes him to realize that his WorldOfChaos is no longer worth losing the one friend he'd ever made.
125* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: ''Discord'' of all people has one when it hits him that his actions have alienated Fluttershy, the ''one'' friend he's ever had in his eons-long life.
126* NoSell:
127** Fluttershy tries to use "The Stare" on Discord. He puts on a big show about being affected but then laughs it off like it's nothing.
128** Also, as in his last appearance Fluttershy can simply ignore his attempts to manipulate her.
129* NothingCanStopMeNow: Discord has a speech like this when Fluttershy holds to her promise not to use the Element of Kindness. He didn't realize there ''was'' something that could stop him; him BecomingTheMask and coming to care about her for real.
130* NotInTheFace: Rarity pleading "Not the dress! NOT THE DRESS!" to the animated gravy boat.
131* OddFriendship: Discord, spirit of chaos, comes to genuinely accept Fluttershy as a friend.
132* OhCrap
133** Fluttershy's expression when Discord states that he'll be bunking with her.
134--->'''Fluttershy:''' Oh, dear...
135** Discord himself has one when he realizes the Mane Six are serious that they'll turn him back to stone if he doesn't behave himself.
136* OutGambitted: Discord tries using his newfound friendship with Fluttershy to get her to never use her Element on him again. Fluttershy complies, but also rejects his friendship, which finally reforms him.
137-->'''Discord:''' ...[[{{Touche}} Well played, Fluttershy. Well played]].
138* PopCulturePunEpisodeTitle: to a [[UsefulNotes/TheHomeFront British WWII]] public safety poster -- "keep calm and carry on" -- that has been [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/keep-calm-and-carry-on subject]] to MemeticMutation and [[http://www.welovefine.com/816-keep-calm-brony.html has previously been referenced by]] TheMerch.
139* ThePowerOfFriendship: Fluttershy plans to use friendship, trust and kindness to reform Discord. It works, in one of the best examples in animation.
140* PowerOfTrust: Discord uses this against Fluttershy by convincing her to promise not to use the Elements of Harmony against him as a sign of their newfound friendship. It shocks him as much as anyone that he ultimately proves worthy of it.
141* ProperlyParanoid:
142** The Mane Six keep their Elements at the ready should Fluttershy fail in reforming Discord. Likewise, Celestia made it so Discord ''can't'' take the Elements from them.
143** Celestia advises that Twilight keep the Elements with her at the end of the episode should Discord relapse, especially since he mumbles that he wouldn't use his power for evil "most of the time".
144* PsychopathicManchild: Exemplified by Discord during his rant about how he can do whatever he wants. Its very much akin to a child throwing a tantrum. He gets ''somewhat'' better.
145* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
146-->'''Fluttershy:''' NOT! YOUR! FRIEND!
147* RageAgainstTheMentor: Twilight to Princess Celestia over her plans for Discord. Celestia is completely understanding, and the moment goes almost as quickly as it comes.
148-->'''Twilight:''' [[WithDueRespect With all due respect]], Princess Celestia, '''''[[SuddenlyShouting HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE]]?!?!''''' ''[clears throat]'' Your majesty.
149* RageBreakingPoint: After putting up with Discord the entire episode, Fluttershy finally snaps and screams that he's ''not'' her friend before storming off in a rage.
150* RedemptionQuest: {{Inverted|Trope}}. The Mane Six are the ones on a quest to redeem Discord.
151* ReformedButNotTamed: Discord vows to use his powers for good, "most of the time".
152* RejectedApology: After getting Fluttershy to play peace keeper, Applejack finally relents and apologizes to the beaver who was feuding with the Apples...and gets an angry raspberry in response. However, it backs down when Fluttershy firmly reminds it they had a deal.
153* RollOutTheRedCarpet: Discord does this with his tongue... and he happens to be inside the fully rolled-out carpet too....
154* RunningGag: Fluttershy shocked by what the beavers are saying.
155-->'''Fluttershy:''' ''[{{gasp}}]'' Such language!
156* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Angel, of all bunnies, has a girly scream.
157* SequelEpisode: To [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 "The Return]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 of Harmony"]]; after the Mane Six trap Discord in stone, Princess Celestia orders them to release him so he can be reformed.
158* ShipTease:
159** Discord×Celestia fans are already running with Fluttershy's "He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him."
160** The entire episode is a massive ShipTease for Fluttercord. Special mention goes to the end, where they both blush and hold paws/hooves while Fluttershy says he's a real sweetheart, and everyone else looks away awkwardly.
161* ShoutOut:
162** The title was originally going to be [[WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends "Fluttershy's Home for Reformed Draconequi"]].
163** Discord briefly dons a [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland blue suit and top hat while having tea with Angel Bunny]].
164** As with Discord's previous appearance, there are plenty to ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
165*** Frankly, de Lancie is in full-on Q mode. Everything he does is accompanied by finger-snaps and bright flashes of light, complete with the same bite from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.
166*** This isn't the first time a character played by Creator/JohnDeLancie suddenly appears in another character's chair.
167*** Q once asked Worf, "Eat any good books lately?" Here, Discord ''does'' eat (parts of) some good books.
168*** In the same vein, there are a lot of similarities with the time [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E13DejaQ Q became human]] to Discord's reformation.
169** To ''Film/AllAboutEve'': "Hang on to your Elements, girls. It's gonna be a bumpy night."
170** The dinner appliances coming to life to serve the dinner party are similar to the "Be Our Guest" sequence from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
171* ShownTheirWork:
172** Beavers causing floods and affecting farms and even little towns is something that happens at times in RealLife.
173** When Discord levitates Fluttershy's cottage and spins it in mid-air, ''everything'' in the background behaves exactly as it would if it were inside a spinning house.
174* ShutUpKirk: Discord makes it perfectly clear to Fluttershy that he is a villain. Until it hits him that he cares about her friendship.
175* SoLastSeason: After several episodes across two seasons, Fluttershy finally finds a being immune to her Stare in Discord.
176* SophisticatedAsHell: When Twilight yells at Princess Celestia for bringing Discord.
177-->'''Twilight:''' With all due respect, Princess Celestia, '''''[[SuddenlyShouting HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE]]?!?!''''' ''[clears throat]'' Your Majesty.
178* TheSpeechless: Angel and his communication-through-charades.
179* SpoilerTitle: The title was originally going to be "Fluttershy's Home for Reformed Draconequi".
180* StealthPun:
181** Why was Discord eating all the copies of the reform spell in a bowl? He was eating a ''word salad''.
182** Why was Fluttershy so shocked by the beavers' language? Perhaps they used the word "dam(n)".
183* StockScream: Angel emits the Wilhelm Scream as Discord turns Fluttershy's house.
184* SuddenlyShouting:
185-->'''Twilight:''' With all due respect, Princess Celestia -- '''HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!'''
186* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial:
187-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' Don't listen to him, Fluttershy! [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 He's just trying to drive a wedge between us, like he always does!]]\
188'''Discord:''' Now why in the world would I ''ever'' try to do a thing like ''that''?\
189'''Rainbow Dash:''' [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 So we can't unite and use the Elements of Harmony against you, that's why!]]\
190'''Discord:''' I never thought of that...
191* TakeAThirdOption: Fluttershy is given the choice between giving up on Discord and using the Elements to turn him back to stone, or forgiving him for tricking her and accepting him as her friend. She rejects both.
192* TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity: Or of Kindness in the present case. After Fluttershy gives her word that she won't use her Element of Harmony against him, Discord figures he has himself a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, and that there isn't a damn thing anypony can do about it because, in his words, "we're ''friends''!" Thankfully, [[RageBreakingPoint even Fluttershy has her limits]] to how much of Discord's antics she can take.
193* ThatLiarLies: Rainbow Dash to Fluttershy regarding why she can't trust Discord, right after the SuspiciouslySpecificDenial exchange just above.
194* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Fluttershy might be a very shy pony with LovableCoward tendencies, but she's used to dealing with wild animals on a regular basis and taming them with kindness alone. Plus she's very resistant to mind games.
195* TitleDrop:
196-->'''Fluttershy:''' Go on. Say it...\
197'''Discord:''' ''[groans]'' All right... ''Friendshipismagic''.
198* TookALevelInKindness: After realizing he values Fluttershy as a friend, Discord restores Sweet Apple Acres to its former state without further tricks.
199* TurnTheOtherCheek: Fluttershy thinks that being kind and hospitable to Discord will get him to change his ways, even though she still thinks he's a "big, dumb meanie" for [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 brainwashing her and her friends]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E2TheReturnOfHarmonyPart2 and nearly destroying their friendship]].
200* TheUnintelligible: Fluttershy is the only one who can understand what the beavers are saying, and by her response (see the RunningGag above), it's probably best that the audience can't.
201* VillainousBSOD: Discord realizes that Fluttershy accepting him as her friend (the only one he's ever had) ''does'' matter to him. This results in him having a HeelRealization and willingly undoing his chaos.
202* VisualPun: Discord is one big walking visual pun:
203** He ''literally'' rolls his eyes. As in, he pulls them out of his head and rolls them across the grass like marbles.
204** When Rainbow Dash calls him a "''big'' liar", he shrinks himself down to size just to challenge her claim.
205** Discord creates another head behind his head in order to blow a raspberry while he [[BlatantLies tells Fluttershy that she is doing a good job reforming him]]. He is literally a '''two-faced liar'''.
206* WasItReallyWorthIt: Discord pulls this on ''himself'' when he asks Fluttershy if she expects him to consider their friendship worth undoing his chaos. To everyone's surprise, especially his own, he finds keeping his chaos really ''isn't'' worth it anymore.
207* WeaponForIntimidation: The Mane Six wear the Elements of Harmony at all times, as a constant reminder to Discord that they can petrify him at any moment if he goes too far with his antics.
208* WhamEpisode: The Mane Six succeed in reforming Discord. Also, Celestia permanently entrusts the Elements of Harmony to Twilight, meaning the Mane Six can now access at them any time.
209* WhamLine:
210-->'''Discord:''' You think you can boss Discord around?! You think I'm gonna turn all this back because you say so? Because if I don't I'll lose the one friend I ever had? ''[gasps in realization of what he just said]'' [[{{Touche}} Well played, Fluttershy. Well played]].
211* WhatHaveWeEar: Discord pulls a carrot out of Angel's ear. A carrot that happens to talk, and is in fact Discord's tooth.
212* WhatTheHellHero:
213** Even her "most faithful student" thinks Celestia is crazy for her plan to reform Discord.
214** The rest of the Mane Six aren't the least bit happy with how oblivious Fluttershy seems to be towards Discord's trickery. It turns out she ''wasn't'' that gullible, and quickly turns this trope right on her friends' heads for thinking she ''was''.
215* WholePlotReference: As if the ActorAllusion wasn't enough already, the episode greatly mirrors the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E13DejaQ "Déjà Q"]]. Like this episode, it takes place during the third season, involves John de Lancie's character being rejected by most of the cast who think the idea of him turning over a new leaf is insane, striking an odd bond with one of the main characters, and eventually making a genuine HeelFaceTurn because of it, which in turn leads to him taking on the role moreso of a TricksterMentor in future episodes to allow him to still antagonize the show's protagonists but be a bit more noble about it.
216* WithDueRespect: Twilight's reaction to Celestia bringing Discord to Ponyville includes the politeness respected towards a princess, right before she shouts in Celestia's ear.
217* WorldHealingWave: Discord, of all beings, uses one to restore Sweet Apple Acres after his HeelRealization.

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