A new perspective

Tackling the mountain of books that stood before Discord would have felt a daunting task before his previous encounter. Now he had a whole range of emotions he needed to vent, and what better way than a little manual labor, some physical exertion to help rid him of his emotional confusion.

Using many tendrils of his magick he would float books together into groupings and stack them in separate piles before moving them towards the shelves in alphabetical order. He hoped it would suffice.

A few hours passed him by and before he knew it he was standing with his paw under his chin looking around at a fairly organized, and cleaned, library. He had begun first by pacing about and checking things onto a list in his head, the list looked like a roller coaster inside a Ferris wheel with fireworks going off but it worked for him. Fairly early on Discord had begun doing everything physically instead of with his magick to help pass the time. Now he stood examining his work offhandedly while wondering why Twilight had yet to come downstairs.

Allowing his curiosity to get the best of him, Discord made his way up the staircase and eventually stopped, standing in front of Twilight's door. He took a moment before slowly cracking open her door.

This time he had a moment to take in his surroundings unlike when the princess had interrupted him. He didnt linger long on the many books she had even up here, or the desk with half written on or blank scrolls with discarded ink wells here and there. What grabbed his attention even over what he saw as a comical amount of broken or worn quills was the lavender mare that slept peacefully in her bed. She seemed to be sleeping soundly and fidgeting every now and then, he guessed she must be dreaming.

Stepping into her room he made his way over to her bed to pick up the sheets she had kicked off of the edge. Taking care not to wake her as he slipped them back over the top of her Discord looked to the rising of Twilight's chest again. He was fascinated that underneath that chest beat a heart, breathed lungs, flowed blood, just like in him.

He knew though that hers didnt have the urge to destroy, to change things. She had the urge to learn from what he knew, to understand. Perhaps she did have the desire for things to change, that was a part of using magick in its essence.

Caught in his thoughts he let time slip through his fingers without notice.

Possibly another hour passed by, it was afternoon now from what he could see out the open window. Discord had just started to enjoy a fresh breeze blowing through the window when he heard a stirring from the bed. Twilight had rolled over and sat up, her mane disheveled from tossing during her slumber.

It was very apparent to Discord that she was still half asleep until her eyes widened to saucers for a moment and she slowly clambered out of her bed. To his great pleasure, non to gracefully might he add.

What happened next he would never have expected.

The speed with which she crossed the distance between them betrayed the fact that she was not half asleep at all. The quick movement caught him off guard and he lowered his arms, which had been crossed in relaxation, down from his chest. She took that opening immediately and slipped into his guard, hugging him tightly with her arms but pushing her chest back. The effect left them standing like to dancers, bodies close, heads apart looking into each others faces.

Discord was taken aback a smidgen as she raised a hoof quickly to his face before stopping just short and gently rubbing his snout. He looked down at her before closing his eyes as she ran a hoof over the scratch that was still sensitive and healing.

It seemed an eternity but the silence was broken by Twilight.

"You shrunk."

He opened his eyes and saw she was smiling and indeed she did look a good deal closer. Come to think of it none of them save maybe Applejack could have reached his head even standing on their hind legs.

Discord felt strange too. He had been feeling a bit tingly so to speak since after his talk with Luna. As he raised his left claws he realized why he had felt strange. His left paw that had once been claws, now matched his right. Blinking he let Twilight go to look at his arms, they indeed were identical left and right paws. His legs were still the same as was his tail, the fluff still intact.

Looking down at Twilight he could only have been maybe two feet above her when he was before almost three times her size. Discords eyes met hers again before he walked over to the standing mirror in the corner.

He smiled a strange smile and spoke "I think this is a good sign. I guess I'll have to ask one of the princesses eventually, they should probably know."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin "Shouldnt you know as much as them, if not more?"

He turned around and hiked a brow "And why would you say that Twilight Sparkle?"

She faced him again "Well, you are older than even their fabled parents right?"

At the mention of Titan and Terra, even offhandedly, Discord clenched his paws and closed his eyes. A rather strange and new emotion he had not felt before welling up inside him. He was careful to let himself calm down before addressing Twilight again.

"I know many things that would put the sisters to shame yes. But most of it is about cultures so far gone that not even Luna, being a thousand years out of the current loop, could relate too. I have been able to stay stable by doing the exact opposite, I am current in an ever changing world because I am change, I am like the natural order of things, I change in a changing world, therefore I am stable as a rock that will never wither with the passing of days."

Twilight stared for a moment then walked over to her desk and wrote a paragraph out. She turned and gave a nod. "I apologize, I had to write that down. It was very well spoken." Half through her smile she yawned.

They began a conversation again, mostly with Twilight asking a few questions about the years he called his own and finding out which time periods she could get answers about. A lot of them he would not speak of, especially the era that Luna and Celestia's parents ruled. Apparently those were the darkest days so to speak. So much so that he ended the discussion once she asked. Luckily for her she was so tired as to crawl back into bed and nod of soon after, never giving enough time for the silence to grow awkward.

He stepped back after seeing that she was asleep and let his thoughts gather. Something strange indeed was happening to him if he was 'gathering' his thoughts.

--

Before he knew it there came the sound of soft rapping at the front door and a click as it was opened and he guessed that Rarity had walked in.

Stepping away from Twilights bed he conjured parchment and wrote a quick note, laying it on the pillow next to her.

Before Rarity could explore the depths any further he teleported into the main foyer and greeted her.

"Hey....I uhm..I trust all of your work went well?" he smiled

Regarding him suspiciously she spoke "It did indeed, I trust you are ready Darling? There is a restaraunt I have in mind that is simply to DIE FOR......Where is Twilight?"

He laughed for a moment and pointed behind him to the stairs "The younger princess stopped for a visit, It was taxing on her and she went to sleep early. When you walked in I had barely finished talking with the princess and writing Twilight a note, I had planned on setting out to find you myself." She didnt need to know about their exchange.

Rarity regarded him for a moment longer before smiling broadly "That girl does tend to work herself into a fluster at the sight of the princesses....Ah well, let it not put a damper upon our night, Darling, It is time we left this musky old library and moved on to bigger and better things!"

He smiled a toothy grin and motioned out the door "Lead the way miss Rarity."

He was more than happy she had not pried further and they were now on their way.

Above in the sky the younger princess sat on a cloud watching them make their way from the library towards a bustling part of town famous for its night life.

With a smile she de-materialized and rejoined within Twilights chamber again, waking her to speak on a matter that was itching her curiosity.

The town at night was gorgeous. Out here at this time of the evening he didnt even get looks from others around him, everybody simply enjoying their own company and business at hand. Besides, as Rarity and Discord had discussed, he looked noticeably less.....noticeable. Less mismatch and less height equaled more normal.

The building he guessed they had been heading for was one of the largest in the area, he had originally thought it a church but now that the main billboard-like sign was lit he could tell it was some kind of formal restaurant. Many strings of lamp lights hung from the buildings entrance out to poles twenty, thirty, and forty yards away, creating a visual vacuum that drew any bystanders eyes straight to the doors, emblazoned one half with Celestia's sun and the other half with Luna's Crescent moon. If he didnt know any better he would have swore the moon on the door looked far more detailed.

The smell wafting out of the establishment brought his mind straight to his stomach and the train of thought he had going derailed.

Rarity let out a sparkling laugh as his stomach growled and commented "Isnt it just the most Devine Piece of heaven on earth Darling? At least for a quaint little town like ours."

Nodding he could not yet find the words before his stomach spoke for him, emitting a rather unfriendly sounding growl. He had not eaten since the cafe that morning and maybe a snack or two while cleaning the library.

"My my my, that simply wont do, let us get inside and truly enjoy the atmosphere." She picked up her pace, remaining as cavalier as ever, and lead Discord right up to the sliding doors.

Nodding his head vigorously at the thought of sating his famished appetite he followed suite as she made her way inside.

Speaking to the reception, she offered up her name and was rewarded with reserved seating for two, close to the main stage.

Motioning for him to follow she gloated lightly "I found the time to get us good seats, I dont know what kind of music you like but one of the girls on stage plays at the Gala yearly upon invitation! can you believe that? And its by her sheer talent alone, never in my years have I heard such a hauntingly lovely Cello being played."

As Rarity continued to give him the life story of the musician he would apparently be seeing later, they arrived at their table and were given a list of the evenings specials.

Not knowing what to order he allowed her to order him what sounded like a hearty meal and relaxed the slightest as the pair fell into a comfortable conversation.

In the back of his mind he was bound and determined that this night would go off without a hitch. He had had enough of this nightly mishap business. Two nights in a row was more than enough.

Checking around the room for any rampaging manticores or other creatures he turned back to Rarity.

She took a moment to break off from the conversation and for Discords attention to return. "Do you mind if I pry Darling?"

Looking straight at her he raised a brow, something he was doing quite often around these ladies, and answered "Depends on what the topic is."

"I do hope I am not being too forward but...I actually have a few inquiries if you are willing?" She didnt at all sound like they were to pressing of a matter.

He smiled, thinking he had warded off any awkward topics of discussion "Please, the least I can do is answer a few of your questions after this show of kindness and...Generosity." He smirked having thrown her namesake into his agreement.

She smiled at it as well.

"Well, to start I just wanted to know what happened to your wonderful face Darling? I know a manticore is much larger than that." She was of course referring to his self inflicted wound.

Gently raking his digits over his face in the exact placement he had the night before she understood his wordless answer.

She chewed on her thoughts for a second and settled for a simple "Why?"

He held in a deep breath and let loose a sigh before answering "Have you ever seen something that shook you to your very core? Something so terrifying or mind numbing that you wished to literally scratch it from your eyes?"

She nodded solemnly, her childhood had left much to be desired.

"Well....I took it a step forward and in a moment of weakness I scoured my own face in an attempt to do just that." he was speaking plainly, nothing in his tone joking or sounding full of himself.

Allowing the information to sink in before taking a drink, she continued "Thank you for the straightforward answer Darling, I appreciate it."

He grabbed his drink, tipping it to her in a sign of welcome and sipped silently as she questioned him further. It did look a bit comical to see him leaning back in his chair with a long island ice tea in one hand angled at his mouth.

"Do you have a wardrobe back at the Castle?" It was a straight question but he saw the trap.

Here was the generosity her friends had spoken of.

"I do not, why do you ask?" he took the bait with ease.

A soft smile opened "I have had a vision of some rather dashing outfits ever since we saw you on the hill. I thought it would be in favor of me to ask if you had any for me to go off of."

"Hmmm...."

Anything he might have owned would have become food for moths or flames in his absence. More than likely the latter. Come to think of it he did actually have this nice vest he wore during the Christmas dinners. Green and Red, cliche but he always loved it.

"I do not, haha, Im glad I could be of some inspiration to the brilliant fashionista."

She blushed slightly and thanked him before going on,

"I only have one more question....its unbelievably personnal for me to ask it of you and I dont want to put a dampener on the evening Darling...its up to you." Here is where she dropped all pretense of formality and again almost glared into his eyes.

It took the space of a second for him to realize the severity of the situation and answer, "Fire away."

It took her a moment to get her thoughts in order from the looks of things, whatever this question was it must be a doozy

"What is the nature of your intentions with our friend Twilight?"

And a doozy it was.

Nudging Twilight gently the princess roused her from her slumber before stepping back  to give her space. After all, waking up to royalty was not a normal occurrence. At least she hoped.

Turning over and slowly rising up and out of her bed, Twilight looked up at Luna, rubbing the sleep from her eyes "P-Princess? what are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

Luna smiled at her warmly and relaxed her wings so they did not seem taught, "No my friend, you are quite awake, I am sorry I took you from your slumber but I have some things I wish to know."

Twilight perked at the prospect of doing research for a princess "What can I help you.......Where is he? Is he still downstairs? ohhhh darnit I have to go help him!"

Luna spread a wing to grab Twilight's attention and spoke again "Twilight, relax, he left long ago with your friend and had long before finished his tasks, but not before leaving you a pleasant note."

Her face flushed and then turned a shade of scarlet before she picked up the note and scanned it, blushing again.

Setting the note down and taking a breath she addresses Luna again "I'm sorry princess, What can I help you with?"

"No need to apologize," she smiled and made herself comfortable "I simply wish to know why you love him."

The scarlet returned to her features and she barely found words "How did you know?"

She smiled a knowing smile "You are my sisters prized student, I have been around you enough to see when something is different, and this indeed is much different than anything I have seen in you before. Besides I am the princess of the night Twilight."

She stared blankly at Luna for a moment for questioning "What does that have to do with you knowing?"

Luna quirked an eyebrow and spoke "I am princess of the night, including all goings-on of the midnight hours. To be put plainly my powers fall within the realm of romance Twilight."

Again Twilight's face turned scarlet, this time at the implications.  "But I hardly even know him...."

Luna laughed, a sound like chimes in the wind "Has that ever stopped anyone in the past?"

The room had taken on a different feeling since she had woken up. She had been so confused but comfortable in giving in to her exhaustion, all because she knew he had been there and then likely moved downstairs. Waking up she had seen the princess, a shock in itself, and read the heart-warming note....

"What do I do princess?"

Now the lighthearted smile gave way to a another knowing grin "What your heart and mind tell you to do. Listen to them both and you cannot go wrong my friend. You have time with him again in the future, make it count and do not dwell on these silly thoughts, only on what makes you happy. Fate will take care of the rest."

Crestfallen Twilight looked up to see the princess about to walk through her orb and vanish "Princess?"

Turning she stopped to listen

"Thank you...."

she stepped through the orb and was gone.

Letting out a loud sigh Twilight fell back to the pillows and reached for the note to reread it again.

Letting out another equally loud sigh she created a mental checklist and added a few more personnel items before falling asleep of her own accord. After all, it was the middle of the night now, no sense in staying awake and working herself into a frenzy about nothing, nope, not at all, no-sir-e.

Just before slipping consciousness she thought she could make out a familiar, warm laugh and she smiled.

Several minutes later the shock of the question had not faded from his face in the slightest.

She had decided the moment had lasted long enough "I understand this is likely uncomfortable, but I must know."

Discord Blinked and answered quickly, almost mechanically "Perhaps...Perhaps this is not the best place for me to answer your question...properly Rarity.."

By an insane stroke of luck, the musician she had told him about stepped onto the stage. Any hopes of a further conversation shattered by the roar of applause and the gentle hum of the beginning notes.

In a perfect display of timing their food arrived within moments.

She simply nodded to him and smiled before leaning closer so he could hear her. "We will talk later, for now, let us enjoy this gem of a night."

Looking back to her he could see her smile was genuine, it lifted the pressure from his shoulders, but not from his heart, or the quiet machinations of his mind.

The rest of the night was quite fun. They talked when they could about different things like life and the adventures he had had so far and how he was excited for the coming Carnival. They had branched off into a totally unexpected trail of conversations when Rarity had made the offhanded joke about the misconception with Carnivals. Discord had agreed wholeheartedly with it.

Once they had left the bustling late night streets he began. "I think I can answer your question now..."

She had not expected him to be the one to bring it up again. Especially after the way it had visibly flustered him at dinner, but if he was going to take the initiative she would not decline.

"Darling, we do not have to speak of it here if-"

He raised his paw, another thing they had talked about over dinner, and stopped her "No. As I said before its the least I can do. Before I had not really given it much thought...now you have allowed me to see into myself...you all seem to have a talent for doing that."

She smiled knowing he must be referring to the emotional episode he and Fluttershy had had, Flutterhsy had of course told Rarity to be careful in bringing on another one by accident and she was by all means up to play the quiet game.

She smiled but decided to press one last time just to be sure "Are you certain you are comfortable with our surroundings? Its not rare for a ruffian to be out and eavesdropping after all."

He smirked and let out a single 'HA' before a golden aura spread out from his steps like radar waves. After a few seconds they receded and the glow faded.

"We are alone and I would rather try this conversation now before my nerves turn back to gel." he gave a rather dashing smile. An oddly shaped cloud floated by.

She only looked to him to make sure he was serious and allowed him to start when he was ready.

After a few moments he had decided to begin "I dont know if I can put this into words Rarity. But I think I can show you...if you trust me?"

Without a moments hesitation she responded "Of course I trust you, we are friends Discord."

Without another word a tendril of orange light snaked from his chest and connected with hers, causing her vision to instantly go black before something came into sight. It was like watching a movie.

"Wh-What am I looking at Darling?" She hesitated for a moment before light began to brighten her vision.

"My memories..."

She gasped as he played forward the events of the past few days. Using his magic to imitate the feelings his memories had given him upon her heart and mind. All of the sights, sounds, smells, feelings he had been confused with and had to interpret, they all imprinted upon Rarities heard and she knew, she knew the beauty of his heart. It was for lack of a better word, gold. The view from his eyes was how she would expect a child, after all, these things, this outlook, was new for him.

Having completed the makeshift movie the energy pulled back and a few tears fell from Rarities beautiful face as she smiled and stared deep into his eyes.

"You....You love her..."