Alone, Together

"Crystal Cake Competition, Cis..tal...," Pinkie was blurting the title of the competition tens times fast, it seemed, as she saw it as a tongue- twister. The Cakes gasped in awe as they stared at the competition. Pastries towered high, glazed with frostings and sprinkles and other goods they had never seen.

The Cakes stole a glance over to Pinkie Pie, who was now trying to say "Crystal Cake Competition" ten times fast again.

After about an hour of Celestia and Discord's 'arguing', Twilight and Applejack leaped out of the bushes after Discord teleported away.

The princess wailed in shock, and prepared her magic for battle, only to see it was her former student.

"Oh, Twilight, a pleasure to see you. How are your studies going?" she asked her. Twilight was about to open her mouth to ask what she was doing with Discord, then she thought about how the princess would react to her spying on her.

"I was trying a spell and turned my friend Rarity into a diamond, and I don't know how to turn her back!

Celestia glanced at the diamond under Applejacks hat. After some hesitation, her horn glowed all sorts of colors.

Soon, her horn burst in a hue of colors. After the flash, Rarity was sitting atop Applejacks head, causing them to collapse.

Rarity and her friends were back at Ponyville, in Fluttershy's cottage, explaining what happened to Rarity. "Thank Celestia I was a beautiful diamond!" Rarity shrieked. "Thank Celestia you're still a pony," Applejack commented, followed by laughter from all the girls.

Twilight had mentioned the 'thing' with Discord and Celestia in the gardens. "I think you girls should be happy for him, making friends and all..," Fluttershy seemed upset that Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight were so skeptical with Discord and Celestia's relationship.

"But Fluttershy," Twilight said, "If this relationship goes on, don't you think the princess with get distracted from raising the sun every day?" "And don't forget, darling, he did make us all act so horribl-" Fluttershy pounded the table, silencing Rarity. "Then what, expect him to have no relationship with anypony at all? He's been alone for eons, don't you think he needs someone?"

The room was silenced. Fluttershy's words stung them a speck. Maybe she was right, maybe he was lonely and needs somepony?

Somepony who grew up with him?

That night, all Celestia could think of was her chat with Discord in the gardens. She couldn't get this strange feeling out of her head, she could not explain it. As her sister rose the moon, she rest in her large bed.

"Tag! You're it!"

What was she dreaming of?

"No fair! You can't tag my hair!"

That's it. She was dreaming about her childhood with Discord.

It seemed she was watching over her young self, playing with her sister.

Her young self ran across the rolling hills, and stopped at a big, dark forest. Everfree forest, she presumed, in it's early state of growth. Her younger sister was still looking for her with her eyes shut.

Young Celestia looked up at the towering branches of the trees. She giggled at one of the branches with a snake tail.

"What's so funny?" the branch slithered down the tree. "I thought you were a branch," Celestia was not scared of the draconequus at all. "Why are you so funny looking?" the filly asked.

Celestia, who was watching over them, seemed to have gasped at the rude comment, but kept watching as the young draconequus was not offended at all.

"Why are you so pretty?" he asked in return. Young Celestia didn't quite take it as a compliment, more of just a normal question, witch didn't hurt her or change her feelings at all. The pony watching over them remembered how she did not understand many things when she was young.

"I guess it's because my hair is pink," she responded, "...or maybe because you look funny but pretty too, and pretty ponies think other ponies are pretty too," she remembered what she was talking to, and quickly fixed her mistake. "Oh, erm... I meant, um... pretty things think other things are pretty too,"

They both giggled a little.

"Starswirl!" her sister shrieked in the background. She had completely forgot about her beloved sister she was playing with.

"Bearded!" she yelled in return. Celestia had no hesitation letting Luna meet her new friend. Tumbling down the hill came her sister, who touched Celestia and screamed, "Taa~ag! Now you're it, Tia!"

Luna opened her eyes and looked up at the short snake-like figure up in the tree.

"You look funny," she commented, pointing at him. All they did was giggle a bit.

Only then, Luna realized that Celestia and him were already kind of close, only then she chanted,

"Tia and Mister sitting in a tree!

"Luna!" Celestia was annoyed at her little sister.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G"

"Lu~na! Gross," she started tackling her little sister.

Luna peeked out from under Celestia's hoof that was holding her down playfully and saw the sun setting a small amount.

"Tia! Mommy's going to raise the moon!" she squealed in excitement. Immediately, they rose up and ran up the hill. Tia stopped and looked back at the funny thing she had had an amazing time talking with.

"Tomorrow?" she asked "Tomorrow," he replied. Tia chuckled and ran up the hill with her sister.

"See the beautiful gems up there?" A beautiful, orange pony held Luna up to her chest.

"Those are the stars. Every night, I will add a star up there so when you grow up you can raise them and remember when you were just a young filly," her mother nuzzled her ear. "Do you really think someday I will raise the stars and moon like you?" Luna asked.

"I know so," she replied.

Celestia woke up in her bed, present day. She was no longer dreaming, or remembering, or whatever the hay she saw, but she knew she dreamt it for a reason.

She went down the spiraling staircase to the diner hall. As she took some milk from the chef ponies, she spotted Luna.

With her plate and milk, she slowly trotted towards in an orderly fashioned way. "Had a good rest?" she asked her, noticing the grey under her eyes. "Yeah, lots of stars to raise, and I couldn't go to sleep, stuff like that,"

"I could help you raise the stars tonight if you want," "No, no, no, no, unnecessary, unneeded, no, please, thank you, sorry, no please. I got it, a~all under control, yup. Me, being controlling and unneeded of assistance," Luna seemed disrested at the thought of her sister helping her, maybe wanting to prove she can be as powerful as herself.

"You did a beautiful job on the constellations last night," Celestia commented under her breath, hoping her sister heard her while grabbing eggs with her magic.

"Thanks," Luna muttered back.

Discord could not sleep that night before either.

He could only think about his conversation with Celestia in the gardens that day. Surprisingly, he thought more about Celestia than the actual conversation.

So, that morning, he flew down to Fluttershy's Cottage and barged right in, interrupting Fluttershy who was feeding her rabbits and squirrels.

"Oh, Discord, hello," she was kind of confused to see him right at the moment- especially in this time of morning.

"Fluttershy, we're still go~od friends, right?" "Well, wait, still?Yeah of course but wha-"

"Good, now, go~od friends keep secrets, right?"

"Right but," "Now of course, good friends give good advice to very good friends, right?" "ri-" "Right, of course, now as a good friend, I trust you for advice," "Discord what are you-" he pinched her lips.

"Now to kick off the conversation-" he snapped his claws, summoning a long couch and a small chair to look like a therapy session. Discord hovered right into the long couch and put Fluttershy in the chair, giving her a clipboard and pen.

"Discord I-" "Now Fluttershy, I need very good advice from the pony I trust," he looked up at her.

"I know you should be asking the questions here- but let me just ask you one thing,"

"Yes?" Fluttershy responded. She had decided to just roll with whatever he was talking about and be a good, supportive friend for him.

"Have you ever had a crush on maybe a special somepony?"