A new perspective

Part one and two as a whole represent the third day just in case you don't catch that.

The sky above showed conflict as externally as Discord did internally. Scattered here and there where heavy bulges of dark clouds, other places held bright stitches of light. It was as if the approaching storm could not decide whether to drench the town in torrential rains or illuminate the approaching hours of noon with lighting.

Discord walked at a steady pace, making sure he was not rushing Fluttershy for fear of seeming anxious to leave her company. though initially waking up in her arms, he felt things would undoubtedly become awkward quickly, Fluttershy would have none of it and had dispelled his worries.

The sky above spoke volumes to his position. He knew he was here, just like the storm, but neither of them knew whether this would end with the calming rain needed for growth and cleansing, or the cracking of thunder and destructive crashing of lighting.

The first thing they had talked about upon leaving her cottage was his apparent 'nightmare' where he had been reaching out for comfort. To him it came as a relief that he had not forgotten some shared moment of intimacy with Fluttershy and simply found comfort in a friend while fast asleep.

Once that topic was out of the way everything was back to normal and both were speaking fluidly again.

In the midst of one such smooth conversation they finally came upon the main road leading to the arch and town entrance. Looking ahead both he and Fluttershy could see two figures speaking animatedly between each other.

The two waiting for them wore completely different expressions, though both were seemingly annoyed.

The Fashion lover that he was going to spend the day with was(Rarity if he remember correctly, the Element of Generosity)  the less energetically speaking of the two from this distance.

The other (who was pointing about and gesturing frequently) with her was none other than the princess's star pupil, Twilight Sparkle he recalled.

Upon getting closer, both he and Fluttershy noticed that the princess's pupil was consistently pointing to the other and then the quickly darkening clouds. Rarity frowned and then nodded her head in the direction of the two arriving.

As if on cue a small drizzle began and before any of them could exchange greetings it had picked up to a small downpour. Discord smiled at what he took to be a sign of good luck.

Twilight quickly spoke up "Lets get to the cafe, we can discuss whats going on there."

Nobody argued as the four of them made their way into a cafe nearby.

It was arguably the most comfortable place he had been yet.

Every inch of the wood that made up the building seemed warm and welcoming, made to feel even more so by the bleak contrasting weather just outside the windows.  The paths that customers had taken over the years were worn into the wooden floors in patterns resembling the branches of a tree, not too surprisingly the 'trunk' of the worn area was in front of the main counter. One that was indeed bustling with life, the sounds of clanking pans and sizzling morsels could be heard originating from the kitchen doors behind the counters. Left open and inviting to the cooks and bussers, allowing a very pleasant range of aroma's to make their way throughout the establishment.

The main counter was to the right of the door and did take much attention from the scene, but what would catch most newcomers, and even many regulars eyes was the massive fireplace at the very back of the cafe.

Carved into a boulder than had rolled into the back of the cafe decades ago, the fireplace was a natural work of art. the bricks and materials plastered to it, making it look more like the walls that housed the monolith.

The masterpiece drew his attention from the others as he walked straight to the back and examined every crevice.

The other three had followed his dazed stride over to the fireplace after which Fluttershy had left for a moment to grab a drink "I'd like something to keep me warm while I walk back home after all." she commented with a smile.

The other two took up seats on a couch to the left of him still casually speaking of whatever topic had held their attention before. Looking over he regarded them with a curious eye and spoke once a lull had come to their conversation.

"Twilight, the princess's star pupil,  and Rarity. I didnt think I was getting any double play dates, so whats the deal?"

Twilight obviously didnt appreciate his joking demeanor but Rarity grinned before speaking.

Her voice was like velvet on his ears, a welcomed sound after all the shouting the evening before. "I have a few back orders that I simply cannot let go by unnoticed, there are loyal customers waiting on my designs in the royal city and they must be given my utmost attention."

He stiffed an eyebrow and then gave Twilight a curious glance "what about you Twilight? What brings you round here so early in the week?"

She was about to answer in what seemed a matter of fact manner from the smug look on her face when she was interrupted by Applejack.

"Oh! Hay Gals! Never thought I'd run in ta y'all here in this weather."

Applejack arrived looking chipper as ever and gave her two friends a quick nod and smile before moving over to their guest in front of the fire place and giving him a strong hug. Before letting go completely she grazed the scratched side of his face softly, a question in her eyes, opting to ask another she spoke.

"How was yer night with Kindness, Sugar?" The tone of her voice was a little more than friendly, full of concern, but easily mistakable.

both Twilight and Rarity repeated out-loud "Sugar?" though the two used two different voices.

Fluttershy, who was standing behind the couch caught the difference and looked at the back of Twilights head strangely.

Rarity had repeated it teasingly, like it was a new design she could toy with in her mind,  Twilight had repeated it in disbelief, like it bothered her.

Letting it go Fluttershy came to the other couch opposite Rarity "Oh, hello Applejack." she greeted the other with a warm smile

"Why are we all coincidentally at the same cafe?"

"Twilight!" began Applejack sounding annoyed. "Be polite."

They pulled off to the side and had a conversation none could hear but Discord.

Applejack sat back down next to Fluttershy and both of them had similar things on their mind. They didnt really use their guest's name, opting to call him by other tags like "Sugar".

Thinking about last night made Fluttershy grimace a small amount before she decided to bring it up, hoping it wouldnt sour Discords mood.

"so...Twilight...I guess...the princess told you about...last night?"

She perked up immediately at the mention of the time she had spent with her mentor and gave a quick glance at the one moving away from the group.

"She told me he fought off a manticore to protect you. That it hurt him and she showed up in time to diffuse the situation, leaving early to give him time to rest after they had had an argument...."

The rest of the girls all looked at him as he walked away from the group with a barely audible scoff, he looked anything but proud or happy at being a momentary hero. The feelings of the previous night hanging heavy over him and his limb reaching up to softly rub his face.

Turning before he broke the semi circle they had all created he questioned Twilight "Forgive me if I find your teachers taste for lies unappealing to my pallet, but, you never answered my earlier question, why are you here, your time with me isnt until the end of the week, and you get more than the others as well."

Rarity answered for her "As much as it brightens my day to see you are worried about our time together darling, I have to get to those orders and Twilight was more than happy to entertain you until I am free again."

Looking back at Rarity to confirm it was the truth he turned back to a visibly angered Twilight, a glint of something else in her eyes.

Before she could speak he offered up "I dont mean to sound so rude...my nights have not been easy thanks to your princess and its beginning to affect my daytime hours. We will do whatever you would like until Rarity's return."

Twilight, who had not expected such a quick and sincere apology, regarded him with suspicion, but no longer anger.

"Its... alright. I thought we could just go back to the library, my assistant is gone for a while in the royal city getting me supplies. I could use the extra help if you really want to."

He looked over to Applejack "Is her assistant with your family?"

Looking up from the pastry she had purchased when no one was looking she nodded "Ah'd like ta think so, they left on tha same train, both knowin' t'other was going."

Reaching over he ruffled her blonde locks in the same way she had ruffled his cinnamon, they both smiled and only Fluttershy noticed Twilight frown the tiniest fraction.

"Well, if we are going to do any of the things I have planned for the library we should get going."

Looking around the group he nodded to each of them, again ruffling Applejack before hugging her and Fluttershy goodbye.

Not feeling well enough acquainted with the fashion lover he simply offered up a goodbye "I...look forward to our time later Rarity."

In return she flashed a smile "It will be fabulous Darling."

The walk from the cafe over to the library was miserable.

He wished it was miserable because of the rain but Twilight had produced a barrier over their heads as they walked, it was small and made the space between them no more than an inch or two but that wasn't what bothered him either.

The problem was them.

Both had tried to strike up some sort of conversation and failed miserably. Any question about recent events put him back into a horrible mood, he would ask some question of his own, sooner or later it would come back to the princess, he would get angry, she would get offended or vis-versa, there would be a silence, and the process would start again. On top of the conversational issues, both of them were exhausted. Whether it was the weather or their recent habits that had sapped all of their energy, neither could tell.

Again he felt the urge to apologize to the beautiful being to his side. Beautiful? The thought stopped him in his tracks and within a moment he was out from under Twilight's barrier and quickly being soaked.

They both exchanged confused looks, Twilight's wondering why he had stopped, his look portraying something she couldn't quite pin.

"Why did you stop?"

Do I actually care for her?

she looked around herself before staring back at him "What? is something stuck to me? is my hair messed up? what are you staring at?"

Now completely soaked he attempted to form words but his most recent thought was beating down the rest of his mind.

"I....You...."

She walked up to him and shook him a little once he was under the barrier.

"Hey....whats wrong, are you alright? Your pupils are dilated, are you feeling well?"

They were inches apart and he could feel her breathe on him, his mind screamed to close the distance allowing reason to be scattered to the winds.

What am I doing? They both thought.

Leaning in, his mind had gone on autopilot,and hers was shutting down just as quickly

Only centimeters from the connection their minds were fighting for, he broke and swiftly pulled to the left, bringing her into a powerful hug. His mind screamed in gratitude while his heart beat so furiously against his ribcage it felt more like a punishment then a sign of life. But, he had followed his heart before....

Still lost in thought her barrier vanished and they stood in the middle of the road, rain pouring down upon them, neither moving an inch until Twilight slowly reached around and returned the unplanned embrace, finding the focus to return the barrier over them at the same time.

Opening his eyes from what he felt had been a dream he relaxed his grip and held her comfortably.

The thoughts in his head were moving the speed of light.

In Twilights mind, quite the opposite could be said. Instead of a barrage of thoughts and comments as she was very used to, she had one emotion holding sway over her entire being. Not even a thought, just one, pure, emotion.

Love.

It was new, it was strange, and one of the only thoughts she had, ridiculous as she would call it later, was that it needed to be studied. Diligently.

Slowly but surely they both let go only to stare at each others soaking figures, the scarlet of their shared moment of intimacy still plain on their faces.

"We..should get out of the rain Twilight."

She nodded and they continued their walk.  Luckily for them both the library was only around the corner

Upon arriving they each took a moment to regain their composure and clear the air.

Completely overlooking their moment he offered up "So what was it you needed help with?"

She gestured towards a large stacked mountain in the center of the main foyer, looking around he noticed there were many shelves that looked recently disturbed, the mountain could only be built of all the missing books.

"I need these all re-shelved and.....and...."

Looking away from the mountain and over to Twilight she didnt look well all of a sudden. Pale almost. Despite his inner urge to make all of the books fly towards the ceiling like butterflies he found himself quickly focusing on her.

It came out before he could even think of a filter "Hey, you don't look well...are you feeling alright?"

She turned his way but ended up turning to far and staring intently three feet to his right, "Yes...I'm just...I need to..."

As she choked out the words she took a few steps and fell towards the ground.

Instantly teleporting to catch her, Discord held her tightly in his arms and shook her to keep her awake

"Twilight!?"

"I...Im sorry, I just need to... lay down. Will you help me get to my bed?"

He nodded before lifting her up into his arms(his previous thoughts the farthest thing from his mind) and making his best guess as to where the room was. Looking down at her for guidance he knew she would be of no help.

The second he had picked her up and held her close to his cinnamon warmth she had nestled into it just as when they had hugged. The action made his chest constrict in a pleasant way as his heart beat a litter faster.

Taking the stairs to the second floor slowly, he could already hear her breathing slowing down as she peered up at him and asked for some water, He felt out with his energy and a glass of water appeared next to his body, floating on an invisible plateau of his making.

He had thought about turning it into vodka for a second since they look similar, but with the circumstances he decided he would save the pranks for another day.

--

Finally laying her onto her bed and pulling the covers over her, she was able to take the water and regain some of her color. No more than a few seconds after Twilight had put the glass to the side of her bed she had laid her head to the pillow and fallen asleep. At least he had been given a chance to examine the interior of the library as he had slowly carried her up the stairs. In hindsight Discord had no idea why he hadn't just held her in his magick or just teleported. After a few moments he remember the way she nuzzled into his chest and he found his answer.

Standing there and feeling the slightest bit awkward at  admiring the way her body rose and fell with each breath, he saw an all too familiar flash of light from out the window.

"Oh great....the princess again."

He didnt know if he was flustered because of the attitude Celestia always had, or the fact that red still colored his face and would not go away.

Walking out of the main foyer he had imagined the princess would be standing there in all her alabaster glory, ready to strike him down for  whatever stupid reasoning or another she had come up with this time. In his head he pulled up a mock puppet version of herself blasting him away with a confetti cannon for crimes of breathing the same air as her.

He had not expected to walk out and find himself in the presence of the princess of night.

"You have learned many things in the two days you have been down here." she remarked with a gentle smile. Then she tilted her head and the smile turned lazy, "Why is thy face colored as that of a rose?"

He put a paw over his snout and snorted "Is there something I can help you with? I'm a bit busy right now."

The younger sister laughed loudly and smiled at him. "I only came to see how you are doing, I....heard about my sister's brash behavior and had wanted to make sure you were being well accommodated.....Though I did not expect to find you in the embrace of another to be honest." Ever the joker, he pondered if that was why they had gotten along in the first place all those centuries ago.

The leer he was giving could have started a fire with its intensity, "You were watching us?"

"Oh come now, of course I wasn't....for very long" a sly grin replacing the innocent smile "I honestly only came across you two when you had stepped out into the rain from her barrier. I must say, you truly are one conflicted being even after all these years."

He smiled for a moment at the thoughts before turning grim again, he was supposed to be being serious. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Look, just because I like you more than your sister and am usually civil with you doesnt mean it doesnt have limits. You are pushing it, what do you want?"

She smirked "I want you to open your eyes even more than you already have. You have seen the balance and that was the start of something truly beautiful, something that you have only just felt a fraction of. But like anything else, if it is not nurtured it will not bloom. Perhaps you should stop worrying about all the thorns and love the flower for once."

"You do love your cryptic bullshit dont you princess?" The flat glance said it all.

"That was fairly straightforward, thank you." she pined.

He had been too frustrated to notice that the rain had stopped falling before he had even come outside the library. Feeling the suns rays breaking through the clouds and warming his features reminded him of the warmth and constriction he had felt  so many moments before.

"Regardless of what games you want to play, I need to check on Twilight, besides.....the pranks are my specialty Princess, leave the master to his work."

Silence fell for a moment, neither speaking after his remark.

"Fine then. Go tend to your rose. But dont play so dumb. Its no fun when you wont play along even a little." Giving a small pouting face she de-materialized without another word.

Had that whole show been a mockery of him? It felt like they had reversed roles...her the trickster and he the level-headed one.

Growling low in slight frustration he walked back inside the library and upstairs to Twilight's room.

While on the stairs he grumbled about the encounter mentioning 'his rose' and other titles nonchalantly, testing how they felt on his tongue.

Entering back into Twilight's room he found her sitting up and looking lively as ever. A thought passed his mind and he cursed the princesses name under his breath. It was all too likely the sudden 'Illness' had been one of her tricks.

"I see you are feeling better, and quickly too." he let no malice or suspicion into his voice, merely concern.

"I guess I just needed a quick nap. Who was outside, I could hear voices? Where you talking to a street vendor? I heard something about a rose or flowers."

He blushed but thankfully played it off by scratching the side of his face, "It was nothing of any importance. I just stepped out to check on the weather and ran into a flower salesman on the way to his stall in town. The sun is out and everyone is making an appearance."

Staring him down she got up out of the bed and walked straight towards him

"You are a worse liar than Applejack."

Again she was inches from his face and his heart felt moments away from breaking through his chest.

"Maybe you should get some more rest, I'll get started on the books downstairs and you can help me when you wake up ok?"

"Fine." she snapped "If you dont want me around you I'll just stay in bed."

Before he could defend himself she had teleported the short distance back under her bed sheets, facing away from him nonetheless.

Giving out an audible huff of defeat he walked over to her bed, upon reaching the edge she scooted further away like he had offended her.

Before resigning to leave the room he leaned over and spoke "Thank you for volunteering to keep me occupied while Rarity is busy. I know I'm a burden and I wish I wasn't. Especially not to you. Try and get some rest....I'll try to be quiet and not ruin anything." with that he turned and left.

For reasons she herself could not explain a single hot tear rolled down her cheek and onto the pillow. Wiping it away in confusion she began to question herself before giving in to her stronger feelings of exhaustion. Those late nights had finally caught up to her and her body was going to force her to make up for them.

As she slid into the depths of sleep she could still feel the cinnamon on her face as she relived the hug they had shared a short time ago.