Is Discord truly good?

[LordDiscord 289]

Now I know many of you might see this as a odd topic considering Discord was reformed in the episode ''Keep calm and Flutter on'' but after watching the latest episode of season 4, '' Three's a Crowd'' It really has me scratching my head. Now I understand that by nature, Discords loves to screw with the ponies, but generally when he does so, he does it in a way that is intimidating to the Mane 6 as well as giving a valuable lesson to boot. But in this episode his only goal was to ruin Cadence's and Twilight's day. 

 

At the part where Discord first interacts with Twilight and Cadence, he informs them that he is sick and that wishes to stay with Twilight until he is better, however the way he questions her about their friendship kind of gave me a sense that he sees that as the only reason to remain good and he feels Twilight knows it. 

 

I just get this feeling that Discord has some plan that he is scheming, that maybe he is trying to find a loop hole in friendship so that he can remain friends with Fluttershy but at the same time turn Equestia into his chaotic playground.And I feel that is what he is trying to accomplish when he messes with the other 5 of the Mane 6, as he feels that if he can make them look like jerks in front of Fluttershy, then maybe he could get her on his side and not theirs so he would be free to do what ever he wants and would no longer have the leash of the Elements or the thought of losing Fluttershy as a friend as something that is holding him back. I don't know, maybe I am just looking to deep into things, but this is the second time he has appeared after his reformation and still there has been no need for his magic other that to troll the Mane 6 which as I have stated in previous topics means that there has yet to be a actual point in reforming him, as he could have still made these appearances as a villain and it would have made more sense, I mean had Discord been banished at the end of '' Keep calm Flutter on'' instead of reformed or turned back to stone then his presence in this episode might not have felt as pointless. Don't think I hate him now that he is reformed I just wish his appearances would actually be centered around him learning a lesson and actually showing that he wishes to be their friend instead of just being a menace and making Fluttershy be the only friend he probably ever has any hope of having and keeping.

 

I don't know, leave your thoughts of the episode and your interpretation of what you feel will be Discords purpose, is he there just to screw with them or will he actually try to learn to be friends with all of them instead of just Fluttershy.

 

Discuss. 

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

No, he isn't "good" by a long shot.

 

Isn't evil anymore, either.

 

More of a Chaotic Neutral

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

I expect him to be sort of an anti-hero in the end, like Vegeta or Shadow the Hedgehog. He may be good at the end, but only if his own well-being is at stake.

 

For now, he's just a chaotic neutral, like what GFK said up there.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Geek0zoid Steven

[Onylex 2,837]

I think the only person that discord now shows compassion to is Fluttershy.

I dont think he is necessarily good or becoming a good guy.  

[UserNotFound 964]

Well... I think Discord is still a mischievous character... I wouldn't say he was an angel but I think he's a lot better than he used to be and... I like the fact he messes with the ponies... He's helping them raise their tolerance levels xD

[LordDiscord 289]

I expect him to be sort of an anti-hero in the end, like Vegeta or Shadow the Hedgehog. He may be good at the end, but only if his own well-being is at stake.

 

For now, he's just a chaotic neutral, like what GFK said up there.

This is possible but at the same time, isn't friendship the whole point in why he was reformed? If he begins to feel that it is no longer worth his time, to try to be friends with them as they seem to give this presence that they don't want to be then what exactly would be holding him back other that Fluttershy, who he knows he could easily manipulate if given the right opportunity. If he is true friends with all of them then there would be no purpose in being evil but if Fluttershy is all he has to hope for than maybe he would see it more beneficial ( to himself) to just revert Fluttershy on his side so he can do what ever he wants instead of acting good for ponies that care nothing for him. 

Edited January 27, 2014 by LordDiscord

[Genepool 224]

To go into the realm of philosophical thinking, I believe that Discord thinks "good" and "evil" are terms of pure black and white with abilities in chaos are undefined by the laws of regular/simple minded individuals with Celestial "maybe" being the exception.  Discord's ability to manipulate reality at whim and will are more than just "right" and "wrong" in nature. 

 

What would be interesting for an episode is Pinkie Pie challenging Discord to one full day where she assumes control of his powers while Discord is reduced to a pony/mortal.  Have it grow to the point where Pinkie's random mind becomes even more random/chaotic as Discord's powers start to taint her mind, maybe referencing Adventure Time and the Ice King's crow how it corrupted Simon's mind, and have it end with Pinkie apologizing for her actions. Could do a Vampire Fluttershy scheme where we see Discord looking at Pinkie's mane as two unicorn horns protrude through. 

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

NO, he is not good.... why?! Because he made Twilight Sparkle cry! I seen him do it! Indeed I did... and I'm sure all of you did too.. 

 

Anyway bottom line.. no he is not good never well be too, he is the "God of Chaos" you can't get much more Evil then that. 

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

This is possible but at the same time, isn't friendship the whole point in why he was reformed? If he begins to feel that it is no longer worth his time, to try to be friends with them as they seem to give this presence that they don't want to be then what exactly would be holding him back other that Fluttershy, who he knows he could easily manipulate if given the right opportunity. If he is true friends with all of them then there would be no purpose in being evil but if Fluttershy is all he has to hope for than maybe he would see it more beneficial ( to himself) to just revert Fluttershy on his side so he can do what ever he wants instead of acting good for ponies that care nothing for him. 

Well, we already know that the rest of the mane 6 want no part of the dude. They don't believe that he's reformed, and I don't exactly believe it either. He may be on a road to recovery, though. If that's the case, it's a pretty bumpy road he's making on purpose. I mean, he ruined Twilight and Cadence's time on purpose on the most recent episode. If he's currently trying to reform, he's having a hard fucking time with that.

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Not entirely. He's that gray area like Vegeta, Buffy's Spike and Damon Salvatore--among others--are in because he's too popular to get rid of, but we really don't him to be completely good. 

 

Me, I think he's faking it in order to get some flank friendship from Fluttershy. I can totally see him jumping off the wagon (even have a fic about it in my head) 

[Zekromic 1,054]

I believe he's somewhat jealous, I dunno, but it's clear that his motives aren't pure

[Castle Bleck 19,394]

No, but he's better than he used to be.

[None42069 520]

NO, he is not good.... why?! Because he made Twilight Sparkle cry! I seen him do it! Indeed I did... and I'm sure all of you did too.. 

 

Anyway bottom line.. no he is not good never well be too, he is the "God of Chaos" you can't get much more Evil then that. 

 

There's a difference between good/evil and order/chaos. One can be good in a chaotic manner and evil in an orderly way. As was mentioned above, he's more neutral now.

[Shine 166]

Here are my thoughts on Discord:

 

I don't think he could ever be truly "good" or "evil."  Discord is chaos, and chaos is neutral.

The reason he screws with the Mane Six so much, I think, is because he wants to test their friendship toward him.  He knows that most of them really don't like him, so I think he's just trying to either 

a.) make them like him, or

b.) get them to fess up and admit that they aren't truly his friends.

 

He may be the embodiment of Chaos, but he still doesn't like being lied to, so, like a child, he acts up in an attempt to get back at the ponies as long as he feels that they may be lying to him.

 

When I watched the episode "Three's a Crowd" the other day, my sister said she thought Discord was faking it when he told Twilight he was testing her friendship, because of the way he was still trying to get between her and Cadance afterwards.  I don't think this is the case.  He seemed to me to be very genuinely happy that Twilight had actually done something for him.  His reaction to her relationship with Cadance seems to be a jealous type of reaction.  

 

I think he is jealous of the ponies for having the ability to form lasting friendships with one another -- something he can't seem to do with anyone but Fluttershy.

 

Long story short:  Discord will never be truly "reformed," but he really does want to have friends; he just doesn't know how to make ponies like him.

[SomariFeyWright 776]

As much as I absolutely despise the show's current portrayal of Discord, I'll definitely say it's probably the best way to reform him. He hasn't fully changed... he's only changed around what he wants to change for.

 

Which, of course, is just Fluttershy.

 

Way I see it, he doesn't really care about anypony else significantly and still has his mischievious tendencies that tend to drive most of his actions when FS isn't involved. He still wants to cause trouble and wreak chaos just as he had done in the past, but at the same time, he still has a moderate compassion toward Fluttershy that drives him to stay true to his word at least on the "Yet-another-apocalypse" scale.

 

I don't think he's up to any scheming, although I did thing that when I first saw his new portrayal in the S4 premiere. He's just... himself, but reformed.

Edited January 27, 2014 by SomariFeyWright

[Untitled Goose Q 5,138]

No, Discord is not "good". Nor was he ever Evil. I see him as always having been Chaotic Neutral, and that has not changed.

[FNGRpony 658]

I can safely call discord evil.
He never does anything good, and he bearly fixes the bad thing he does.

 

Mention something good he did?  one thing?

That didn't include fixing something he was responsible for.

[Singe 2,111]

Discord is will be trying to find loopholes that will allow him to be himself as long it meets the minimum reformed requirements.

[Burning Question 69]

He's a creature of chaos so of course he will never be just good  or bad - he serves both by nature. BUT he can choose what to do with his powers. He wasn't really reformed, he just AGREED on trying to get reformed and not bring destructive chaos to Equestria. Must be kinda humiliating for someone who could potentialy rule whole land. His reformation process will take some time and for now I think he'll be useful as much as he'll be trolling hard.

[CHAOS_FANTAZY 42]

"Is Discord truly good?"

No.  Of course not.  But let's take it a step further and tack on a "Why not?" to the end of that question?  To best answer that, let's briefly review the typical "good guy" traits.

A "good guy" can normally be described as selfless.  They have a reputation of going out of their way to help others, especially the needy.  They value a number of things, typically a moral standard, over their own success.  If in a group, they do everything they can to stick together and help one another overcome their shortcomings.  I think this is a pretty good roundabout description of a "good guy."

 

The big difference between Discord and a good guy?  Discord was—and still is—inherently selfish.  Back when he burst from his stone prison, he would rip the laws of physics apart and make everyone else's life miserable solely for his own amusement.  He didn't care about what anyone else thought, really—or he never really stopped to think about it.

Friendship is not only the first new experience everypony's favorite Chaos Incarnate has had in millennia; it's also the bond that is beginning to make him turn inward and self-reflect.  In "Keep Calm and Flutter On," it's clearly shown that he values Fluttershy's friendship more than his own amusement.  He still has a long way to go before coming to understand the true nature of friendship, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.  I mean, come on, he's got his own Thinking Tree now; what could he be doing in there if not self-reflecting?

[LordDiscord 289]

"Is Discord truly good?"

No.  Of course not.  But let's take it a step further and tack on a "Why not?" to the end of that question?  To best answer that, let's briefly review the typical "good guy" traits.

A "good guy" can normally be described as selfless.  They have a reputation of going out of their way to help others, especially the needy.  They value a number of things, typically a moral standard, over their own success.  If in a group, they do everything they can to stick together and help one another overcome their shortcomings.  I think this is a pretty good roundabout description of a "good guy."

 

The big difference between Discord and a good guy?  Discord was—and still is—inherently selfish.  Back when he burst from his stone prison, he would rip the laws of physics apart and make everyone else's life miserable solely for his own amusement.  He didn't care about what anyone else thought, really—or he never really stopped to think about it.

Friendship is not only the first new experience everypony's favorite Chaos Incarnate has had in millennia; it's also the bond that is beginning to make him turn inward and self-reflect.  In "Keep Calm and Flutter On," it's clearly shown that he values Fluttershy's friendship more than his own amusement.  He still has a long way to go before coming to understand the true nature of friendship, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.  I mean, come on, he's got his own Thinking Tree now; what could he be doing in there if not self-reflecting?

I get what you are say but with someone as random as Discord, spawning what he called a ''Thinking Tree'' more or less could have just been part of his excuse. Also Discord might not have stopped to consider the feelings of others but a lot of his chaotic schemes took some though, and were not as random as they appeared, Discord is very good a thinking on his feet.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Discord isn't good and he isn't bad, he is more of neutral. In the nature of Equestria, harmony can't exist without a disruption of peace and tranquility caused by chaos and chaos can't exist without harmony. He never had a friend until Fluttershy became his friend, he didn't want to lose the one thing he had. He is more of chaotic neutral to me.

[Castle Bleck 19,394]

@Scootalove,

 

Yep, Discord's pretty gray. Somepony such as Sombra, on the other hoof...

 

[Riddle 102]

He would be in a DnD term

is for Discord: chaotic neutral....

 

Part of me is waiting for him to

pull some some dice for his actions

and all before he does them...

[Koelath 445]

No. Discord is not good.

"So he's evil, right?"

No. Discord is not evil.


Discord is beyond morality. He exists for the sole purpose of creating chaos. Whether he does this by blatantly warping reality and brainwashing people (as in his debut) or by trying to burden and otherwise screw around with people (Keep Calm, Three's A Crowd), it is not good or evil. It is simply what he does. Discord is his purpose, whether he uses good or evil or neutral means to obtain it. Discord (the concept) is inherently without morality so Discord (the entity) has no concern for it either.