The Laughing Statue

"This party was held for you, Discord. You really should go out and... mingle," Rarity said, nudging the reluctant Draconequus.

Discord eyed the ponies that had shown up to the party, a greater number than he had expected given their tendency to run to the hills whenever they spotted him. He suspected it had something to do with the over-zealous nature of the event organizers; Ponies seemed to have trouble saying 'no' to Pinkie Pie and Rarity having been quite insistent on Pinkie getting as many ponies as possible.

Despite being coerced into attending, the 'guests' were still unwilling to actually approach Discord, giving him a wide berth and frequently casting wary glances from across the surprisingly large interior of Sugarcube Corner.

"I think we're all getting along fabulously. You wouldn't ask royalty to mix too closely with the common folk, would you?" Discord asked, straightening into a more dignified posture.

Rarity sighed. "Well, you're not... royalty?" she said, an uncertain voice causing it to come out as a question, rather than a statement.

Discord bristled, glaring at the Unicorn as he rasped out. "Surely, my eloquent manner and infinite grace must have made my position apparent?" gliding closer to Rarity, Discord's voice softened as he gently began to stroke her with his talon . "I told you this when we first met... perhaps it was just the shock of the moment, a small loss of memory."

Rarity gulped, her breath catching in her throat as Discord stroked her, a far-off look in his eyes. "Um... Celestia said that—" A jolt of pain interrupted her, as Discord scratched her.

Discord sighed, backing away from Rarity. "I... apologize, it seems I got a little carried away, for a moment... Perhaps it's best if we avoid that topic."

Rarity backed away. "Of course, happens to all of us... No harm done," she said, smiling reassuringly.

Discord, seeing she was wary to approach him, added. I'll just go... mingle, then." Looking away from her, Discord glanced around, searching for a dark corner to skulk around in. Unfortunately, the confectionery seemed to work against him, having been made to be exceptionally bright and colorful.

It's bright style had only been accentuated by Pinkie Pie, the mare seeming to have done her best to brighten the surroundings, leaving Discord to stand out in the cheery atmosphere. His large presence working against him, as when he began to approach the gathered ponies, they quickly scattered. Leaving him standing alone.

Scanning the divided remnants of the crowd, he spotted Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. Both looking at him, he took it as an invitation to join them.

Quickly closing the distance, he spoke, both ponies being too flabbergasted to do anything but listen. "Enjoying yourselves?" Discord asked, looking around, he noted that the other ponies had distanced themselves, before looking back to his companions.

"Quite. I was just talking to Rainbow about how she gave me her Element, for safe-keeping. It would be best if you did the same," Twilight said, smiling winningly.

Discord snorted. "No, stop asking," ignoring her indignant response, he turned his attention to Rainbow. The mare having started to back away, he quickly glided around her, cutting off her route. "So, buddy. Having fun? I certainly am, although I'm sure we could have some more. Not here though, how about we go back to our place?"

His suggestion was rewarded with a cringe from Rainbow. "Stop saying stuff like that! It's pretty creepy," Rainbow spat, glaring at the Draconequus before looking over at Twilight. "Don't listen to him, he's just trying to mess with us."

She got no response from Twilight, who was now staring at Discord. Rainbow nudged her with a hoof, grabbing her attention. "Woah, you drifted off there for a sec, Twi. I know what you're thinking, he's a weird one."

Twilight shook herself, the motion violent enough that she took a second to re-orient herself, before answering Rainbow. "Yeah... you're right. Discord's a creep," She glared at him, receiving a wink from the Draconequus in response.

"Twilight," he said, cupping her muzzle. "You just don't understand our love. I expected that, of course. You poor, asocial bookworm, I pity you," he ruffled her mane, Twilight gasping as he took her off guard.

Twilight's response was cut off as Pinkie Pie appeared, quickly moving between them. "Hey, there's no reason for you guys to get all grouchy. It's a party!" she said, doing her best to keep them separate.

Discord scoffed. "She started it, harassing Rainbow Dash and I. The mare has no respect for her betters," he said imperiously, raising himself up to a more regal posture. "She should prostrate herself before me and beg for forgiveness."

Pinkie said nothing, looking instead at the quickly angering Twilight. "Just... gimme one second, okay? Don't do anything!" she said, dashing off into the crowd.

Discord turned to Twilight, who was looking at him with restrained anger. "I'm not worried, you know. You can't hurt me anyway. That angry face you have looks positively adorable, by the way."

Losing her angry expression, Twilight continued to stare, her anger replaced by a furrowed brow. Beginning to speak, she was once again interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who had returned with a bottle, along with two glasses, balanced on her back.

At her request, Discord placed them on a nearby table. Relieved of her burden, Pinkie addressed them. "I've seen ponies who didn't get along before, we'll just have some of this and we'll all get along again!"

Discord looked at the bottle, inspecting the liquid held within. "I've never been one for eating, or drinking. It was always so inconvenient," he poured himself a glass, quickly gulping it down.

He gasped as his throat began to burn, the feel of it akin to liquid fire. When it died down, he spoke. "What is this? I don't think something like this was around back when I was in charge," he said, wiping away a small tear from the corner of his eye.

"Really?" said Pinkie, holding a glass between her hooves. She swallowed it with ease. "You must have been... gone for a long time, then."

"I was, Pinkie... a long time," they turned to Twilight, who was holding a glass of her own within the grasp of her magic.

"Come on, Twilight. It's your turn." Pinkie said, her attempt at coercion doing little to remove Twilight's nervous look.

"I don't know about this..." Twilight stammered, gazing warily at the glass.

"It's not a big deal... is it?" Pinkie said, giving Twilight an appraising look before prodding her with a hoof and smiling encouragingly. "Do it anyway."

"I guess..." Twilight said, timidly bringing the glass closer to herself and beginning to sip it.

Pinkie rolled her eyes, turning back to Discord. "Right... we can finish off the rest of this."

"Does it do something if you drink more?" Discord said, taking a second glass and drinking with more caution.

"Yup," Pinkie said.