Disclaimer - I don't own The Lorax or My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. All characters are property of Dr Seuss/Illuminations Entertainment or Hasbro

(I meant to update this on Wednesday but my brother came home from uni so now I don't have as much time as normal to use it :/ But anyway here is chapter 2~ Expect the next one in maybe another week from now or so)

Progress Must Grow

Over the following months, Discord found whatever ways he could to slip away from Equestria every now and then to check up on his special project. The Once-ler had soon taken control of his business, and the corruption spell was twisting his innocent generosity into greed. Of course, the Lorax did still get in the way sometimes, but Discord had ways of dealing with him. He was doing no wrong. He was only trying to help, afterall. He'd forgive him in the end, surely, when he saw what came out of all this.

During his little visits to to the Thneeds Inc. factory in Greenville, Discord would mainly keep to the shadows, watching from a distant. The two had agreed some time ago that it would far better for everyone if no-one knew of Discord's presence here, besides of course the Lorax, and the Once-ler himself. But on the odd occasion, when the young man was working alone in his vast new office, Discord would appear over his shoulder and help. He would be sure to pay close attention to the Once-ler's ideas and plans; he had his own plans in store and couldn't allow for the slightest alteration. He would keep a particularly close eye on the Once-ler's conniving mother, Isabella, as well. She seemed to have similar, though more selfish, intentions to Discord when it came to her youngest son. If she ever tried to push too far, he would be quick to talk the Once-ler out of it.

And everything Discord did for him certainly seemed to be improving his lifestyle. He was rich and famous, no longer that poor, pathetic nobody the townspeople threw rotten tomatoes at on a day-to-day basis at the Greenville Circle. His family was proud of him, and they respected him. They worker for him. And that thought would always bring a smug smirk to the Once-ler's face. He began to look forward to the visits with his secret partner, ready to update him on his progress and to thank him again and again for helping him get where he was. Discord had praised him when the 'Thneeds Sold' counter hit 100, 500, 1000. He had complimented him on his impressive new green suit. He had even managed to keep the Lorax out a number of times. Just not every time…

"What are you doing here?"

The Lorax faltered for a second at the Once-ler's harsh tone, gradually recovering as he started to speak.

"You still aren't seein' what you're doin', are ya? You're still letting him control you like that?"

"I'm the one in control here," he calmly sat down at his desk, looking through a stack of papers, "I only keep Discord around for the motivation and the security. And the occasional bit of advice."

"Is that right?" the Lorax appeared on the other side of the desk, pulling himself up onto the surface, "Well, either way, you better watch out. I'm tellin' ya, Beanpole, that Discord's bad news. Do you have any idea who you're dealin' with here?"

The Once-ler only smirked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"He's just another magical creature. One who not only actually uses his powers, but who can understand the importance of business."

In an instant, the Lorax had the Once-ler's tie in a firm grip, pulling him down to his level. The man glared down at him through his sunglasses, only to have them snatched off his face and pointed at him.

"Now you listen to me, Beanpole, he's not from here. And I don't just mean he's from outta town. No, I mean he's from a different world entirely. He caused a lot o' trouble over there, and then he found a way into this world and started causing chaos for you humans, too. Ya can't trust him, kid."

Before the Once-ler could respond, a voice came from behind the chair.

"Oh, I agree. I was quite the trouble-maker back then, wasn't I?"

Discord was stood by the open door leading out onto the balcony, a sly grin tugging at his lips. He walked slowly over to them.

"But, you see, Lorax, I couldn't possibly take responsibility for anything wrong now. The fact is I'm reformed. And by Celestia's command, no less."

"Reformed?!" The Lorax dropped the glasses, jumped from the desk and scurried towards him, with the Once-ler watching in confused silence, "You call all this reformed?" he demanded, gesturing out the door at the gradually shrinking forest, "This is your fault! All of it! You're the one who put that stupid biggering seed in his head! And you're tellin' me that you're reformed?"

"Yes, well, it is taking some getting used to, but frankly I'm enjoying my new lifestyle."

Discord smiled pleasantly down at the Guardian, who glared back up at him, and batted his eyelashes. But after a moment, Discord's smile suddenly dropped and he pushed him out the door.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have business to attend to."

He slammed the door shut and drew the curtains. The Once-ler remained quiet as Discord turned back to him and made his way to the front of his desk.

"… So he wasn't lying about your past?" he asked, looking almost hesitant now.

"I admit, I did cause quite a stir once upon a time, but that was long, long ago. I swore to only use my powers for good, and I stand by that promise. It was made in the presence of royalty; I could never break such an oath. I am entirely trustworthy now, I assure you."

"Well, you've gotten me this far," the Once-ler mused, "And we're doing a good thing, here, right? Giving the people what they want, building the economy. This… This isn't bad..." His voice trailed off and he went quiet for a few seconds, "H-he doesn't know what he's talking about…"

The Once-ler's wavering confidence was obvious. This had always been Discord's intention - have the boy rise to power with his invention, and then reveal to him the error of his ways in time for him to fix his mistakes. It had worked only three short years ago with Twilight Sparkle. But the time wasn't right. Not yet. This one would take far longer than Twilight's brief moment of apprehension. He needed to push him just a little further. Just a little. A year, maybe two, more and the Once-ler would learn his lesson.

"You are absolutely right. All he knows is trees and fuzzy little woodland creatures. He just doesn't understand how vital business is to human society. Progress is progress!"

With this reassurance and a growing smirk, the Once-ler replied; "And progress must grow."