Keep Calm and Flutter On

Keep Calm and Flutter On, originally titled Fluttershy's Home for Reformed Draconequi, is an episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. It was aired as the tenth episode of the third season, and the sixty-second episode overall. The title of the episode alludes to the 1939 British WWII propaganda poster Keep Calm and Carry On, which has also been alluded to by licensed merchandise.

Production and development
During the week leading up to the episode's scheduled premiere, story editor and show head writer Meghan McCarthy wrote on Twitter that the premise for the episode was submitted on September 28, 2011. Following the episode's initial announcement, she wrote on Twitter that the episode originally had a "much longer and much more plot revealing" title, and show layout supervisor Tim Stuby wrote on Twitter that the title "might have been changed post-layout stage." After the airing of the episode, McCarthy wrote on Twitter that the original title was Fluttershy's Home for Reformed Draconequi.

The episode is listed on Zap2it as the eleventh episode of the third season, and the keywords of Hasbro's YouTube upload of a clip from the episode include "Ep 311". Show storyboard artist Raven Molisee listed the episode as number 311 on deviantART.

An "important visitor"
In a field just outside Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie are awaiting the arrival of Princess Celestia; Pinkie even got her hooves shineing like a mirrior which very much pleased rarity. for the occasion. Twilight wonders why the princess is taking so long and notes Applejack and Fluttershy's absence, to which Rarity explains that Fluttershy is assisting Applejack with a "mishap at Sweet Apple Acres" and assures they'll both be along shortly. Twilight points out that the princess' being late could be due to the presence of an important visitor, and she and her friends speculate who it could be. Spike gasps at something off-screen: something with "a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail". Twilight quickly deduces that he's describing Discord, and she and Rarity brush off the notion... until Princess Celestia arrives with Discord's statue being towed by one of princess celestia's royal guard.

Reforming chaos incarnate
Twilight unintentionally snaps at Celestia for bringing Discord to Ponyville; her friends each have their own reservations about this as well. The princess understands the risks and explains that she has a use for Discord's magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil, and entrusts Twilight and her friends with that very task. Twilight is still unsure, but supposes that, should things get out of hand, the Elements of Harmony could be used to imprison Discord again. As a precaution, Princess Celestia has even charmed the Elements to be immune to Discord's trickery. Celestia asks where Fluttershy is, believing her to know best how to begin reforming the spirit of chaos.

At Sweet Apple Acres, Fluttershy is settling a dispute between Applejack and an angry beaver; the construction of a dam has caused a stream to get backed up and flood the tree fields. After some heated words and pride-swallowing, the beaver finally agrees to move the dam. Applejack thanks Fluttershy for her help before Rainbow Dash appears to retrieve the two "slackers".

At first, Fluttershy is hesitant to accept such a task as great as reforming Discord, but princess Celestia ensures that she has the utmost confidence in her. The princess takes her leave for Canterlot and leaves the rest to Twilight and her friends. They harness the power of the Elements of Harmony to set Discord free, and upon awakening, Discord wastes no time in harassing nearby woodland creatures with his magic, playing it off as stretching. He reveals that he was consciously aware during his imprisonment and laughs off the idea of being reformed- especially the ponies' faith in Fluttershy, considering his imperviousness to her "Stare". But Twilight makes clear the conditions of Discord's freedom: behave, or it's back to being frozen in stone. Discord relents to these conditions, but not before entrancing a group of beavers behind the ponies' backs, and resigns himself to crashing at Fluttershy's cottage for the duration of his rehabilitation.

On the road to "recovery"
Fluttershy tidies up around her cottage to make it hospitable for her new house guest (Discord). Angel Bunny immediately expresses resentment toward Discord's presence. Despite the rabbit's grumbling and the disapproving glares of Fluttershy's friends, Discord has quickly made himself comfortable. None of the ponies (except Fluttershy) will or would believe a word that he would say to defend himself and take their leave of the cottage. Twilight speaks with Fluttershy one last time before leaving: Fluttershy believes the key to reforming Discord is to become his friend. Twilight has her doubts, but otherwise trusts in Fluttershy's judgment and assures that she and the others will be ready with the Elements if they're needed.

Rainbow Dash convinces the others that they'll need a backup plan if (and when) Fluttershy's plan of befriending Discord doesn't work, and Twilight Sparkle has just the plan in mind.

After briefly addressing Discord's act of eating paper, Fluttershy excuses herself from the house and tells him to make himself at home. Once she's left, Discord reveals to Angel that he's indeed deceiving Fluttershy and relishes in this fact. Meanwhile, at the library, Twilight looks through book after book in search of a reforming spell, but finds that all the pages pertaining to such a spell have been torn out.

Fluttershy returns home to find that her cottage has been literally turned upside-down, but having told Discord to make himself at home, she allows it as long as it makes him comfortable. Discord comments on Fluttershy's boundless kindness, regards the rest of her friends as "nasty" and tricks her into thinking her efforts at reforming him are beginning to work. Twilight and Spike arrive, and Fluttershy tells them that they're making progress. Naturally, Twilight Sparkle and Spike are skeptical. When they inform her that all the reforming spells in the library were torn out, Fluttershy mentions Discord's earlier paper-eating (to Twilight's absolute horror and lament) but says that there's no need for such a spell. To prove this, she tells Twilight to bring their friends to the cottage that evening for a dinner party.

A dinner party with Discord
Twilight and Spike arrive at the cottage with the rest of the ponies, still wearing the Elements of Harmony. Discord greets them at the door and welcomes them inside. In contrast to how it appeared earlier, the inside of the cottage is decorated lavishly, with a large dinner table, cushions, and a chandelier. Twilight instructs her friends to not let their guards down.

The dinner party goes about as well as one would expect a dinner party hosted by the spirit of chaos would: kitchen and tableware spring to life and spray everypony with hot gravy and soup. Rainbow Dash has reached her limit and outs Discord as the mischief maker he is and always will be. Fluttershy becomes annoyed with her friends for not giving Discord a chance; when asked why she was going to such lengths, she says it's because that's what friends do. The idea of being Fluttershy's friend makes Discord pause and become flattered; he's never had a true friend before. Angel suddenly bursts in and, through a bout of charades, informs the ponies that Sweet Apple Acres is being flooded. When all hooves point to Discord as the cause, Twilight and her friends leave to see to it, leaving him and Fluttershy behind.

Chaos or friendship?
Sweet Apple Acres is completely flooded by the time Twilight and the others arrive; Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith are seen salvaging whatever amount of apples they can, and the beavers that Discord entranced earlier have constructed an even larger dam. Fluttershy attempts to talk to the beavers, but to no avail. As is his way, Discord revels in the chaos that he's created. Fluttershy tells him to fix it, and Discord complies- on the condition that Fluttershy never use the Element of Kindness against him, as a "sign of [their] friendship". Much to her friends' shock, Fluttershy agrees.

Discord proceeds to turn Sweet Apple Acres into an ice- and snow-covered landscape, believing he's won. Fluttershy becomes visibly pissed off by this deception, but abides by her promise not to use the Element of Kindness. Discord wallows in his apparent victory, taking advantage of Fluttershy's friendship, and his freedom before Fluttershy furiously announces she is not Discord's friend. Discord shrugs off her anger, proclaiming himself the "master of chaos", before coming to the realization that deceiving Fluttershy may have cost him the only real friend he ever had. Feeling ashamed and in a burst of light, Discord reverses all he's created and returns Sweet Apple Acres to normal.

"I liked it better my way, but...I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?"

- Discord

Discord reformed
Discord comes before Princess Celestia and officially announces to her his reformation. Celestia congratulates the ponies on a job well done, but leaves the Elements of Harmony with Twilight just in case. Twilight comments on how the princess was right about Fluttershy all along: that she would be the one to find a way to reform Discord. Treating Discord as a friend made him realize how important friendship was to him, and once he had it, he didn't want to lose it. After some encouragement from his friend, Discord states (very quickly) "Friendship is magic". Holding onto his hand, Fluttershy believes that Discord can be a real sweetheart underneath, to which the others look away in embarrassment.

Quotes

 * Spike: Maybe the visitor has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Yeah, right. That's Discord.
 * Rarity: Why in the wide-wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?
 * Spike: M-m-maybe you should ask...her!


 * Princess Celestia: I'm fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc.
 * Rainbow Dash: If by "serious havoc" you mean "turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world"...
 * Rarity: ...and tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves...
 * 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! Not a single dollop!


 * Fluttershy: But he says first you'll have to apologize for calling him "a nuisance".
 * Applejack: Apologize? He's lucky I didn't call him a varmint!
 * [beaver loudly complaining]
 * Fluttershy: [gasps] Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth! Such language!


 * Fluttershy: You'd best watch your step, buster, or I'll give you the Stare!
 * Discord: The Stare? Oh no, please, not that! Anything but your disapproving eyeballs! [laughs] Oh no! No no no, stop! No, no! [strangled noises] I can't! Stop! I can't take it anymore! I'll do whatever you say! Because... [laughs] You are hilarious! [laughs]


 * Discord: [to audience, under his breath] Oopsie!


 * Pinkie Pie: Oh, what a cute little gravy boat you are! Yes you are! Yes you are!
 * Rainbow Dash: That's one creepy little gravy boat if you ask me.


 * Rainbow Dash: You see Discord's behind all this, right?
 * Fluttershy: Oh, of course I do! Do you all think I'm a silly, gullible fool?
 * Rarity: Only in the sense of being silly and gullible...
 * Pinkie Pie: [simultaneously] Um, well...
 * Applejack: [simultaneously] Uh... uh, no, not exactly...


 * Discord: Well played, Fluttershy. Well played.


 * Fluttershy: Go on. Say it...
 * Discord: [groans] Alright. [quickly] Friendship is magic.
 * Fluttershy: See? He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him.

Gallery

 * Keep Calm and Flutter On image gallery