-o-
She could do this.
Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn. She was a princess, despite not being born into royalty. Her magical abilities surpassed that of most creatures in Equestria. She was, by a margin, one of the most intelligent ponies of her generation - at least, in an academic sense.
She could do this.
Breathing in deeply through her nose, she willed her legs to move forwards. Nothing happened. The familiar warmth that always enveloped her horn when she used magic was not present. Her body seemed to be coated in a cold sheet of ice, while her mind was stuck on a loop of negative assumptions. Frozen in place, Twilight felt unworthy.
Her jaw tensed. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Twilight tried to force her mouth to part just the slightest of amounts. Willing her teeth to loosen their grip on the stem that was delicately held between them, she let her tongue perform an inspection. Running it along the green material lodged in her mouth, she nodded. Satisfaction welled up within her; though it would require a visual check to make sure the results were truly positive, she understood that a lack of tears in the plant from touch alone was a good indication that it was not damaged.
She sniffed. The aroma of wood wafting through the air was soothing and familiar. Coupled with the stark, hard walls surrounding her, it created an atmosphere she had grown accustomed to since the beginning of her visit to Canterlot. It was quite calming. Relaxing, almost.
Squinting at the door, she stared at its solid form with defiance. Making sure her stance was firm - a solid structure was needed when one's opponent was an immovable force - she lifted her head and pursed her lips. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck. Ignoring it, she proceeded to twist her features into an unnatural, ugly glare. After a moment, her eye twitched. It was becoming rather apparent that the door was not going to melt away from the sheer brutality of bearing witness to her expression.
She couldn't contain the illusion any longer. Head drooping dramatically, Twilight barely managed to keep the plant in her mouth as she sighed in defeat. This was proving far harder than she'd believed it ever could be.
"Stop it." Forcing the muffled words out whilst making sure to keep her teeth clenched shut, Twilight glanced back at the barrier. How could it be so intimidating? It was just a door, for Equestria's sake! Though she knew it was the thing hidden away behind the door that was causing her nerves to flare up, she couldn't help but feel contempt for the old object. If the stupid wooden block wasn't in her way, she would have already completed her task by now.
Liar. Twilight grimaced. I'd still be standing here, scared as a filly, regardless.
Allowing her features to be marred by a scowl, Twilight willed her initial determination to resurface. Her breaths were now coming out in quick pants, and the air around her seemed cool and uninviting. She didn't care. It was now or never. She'd saved Equestria half a dozen times; this should be child's play in comparison. She would not let anxiety dictate her actions.
Straightening herself out until she was standing tall and proud, Twilight narrowed her eyes and concentrated. Heat instantly cushioned her horn in a comforting embrace. Focusing on the polished metal of the knob, she watched with anticipation as a soft, pinkish glow encompassed it fully. An image of what she wanted to occur filled her mind, and not a second later the knob twisted without reluctance. As soon as this happened, she moulded the coloured aura into a more solid form, and pushed.
The door opened without a single creak.
Feeling the warmth of her magic dissipate, Twilight swallowed back the urge to scream. There was nothing frightening about what was happening. Terror was not welcome, yet the hairs on her back seemed to be standing on end, almost as though they wanted the power to jump from her flesh in a bid for freedom. Stepping forwards, she was unable to shake off the tremble in her legs.
Pausing momentarily as she got close enough to actually make out some things inside the room, Twilight snapped her head to the side. Looking down the deserted hallway, she felt something tickle her neck as her gaze darted to and fro, half expecting to see someone there. Wrinkling her nose, Twilight's lips drew into a thin line. She slowly but surely turned her attention back to the room.
Lifting a hoof to step over the threshold and into the room itself, Twilight's ears twitched slightly as an odd sound pierced the silence surrounding her. The sweat on her brow made her skin itch as she tried to focus on finding out the source of the noise. Blinking rapidly a few times as realisation hit her, Twilight felt her heart begin to settle back to its original rate.
The alarm was false. All she could hear was the rhythmic pants escaping through her nostrils. Hopefully, it was only her paranoia that made them seem so loud. Everything seemed to have an increased volume when it was night time and no pony was around to create bumps and mutters.
Keeping that in mind, Twilight finally placed her hoof down onto the fuzzy carpet of Discord's room. Continuing forward a few more steps, she took what little joy she could from the soft fluffiness of the padding under her hooves. The thick material was a nice change compared to the hard floors that made up most of the castle's interior. She smiled.
Once again filling her horn with a swirl of warmth, Twilight shifted a swell of magic to the tip of her appendage and twisted it into a tiny glow. The light was just bright enough to make the shadows and silhouettes transform into more recognisable shapes. Taking a look around with a curious eye, Twilight's eyebrows rose in immediate surprise as her gaze roamed over the furniture and decorations adorning the room.
The walls were filled with photographs, some of which she could make out - one appeared to be a group picture with each pony dressed in royal attire, while another, smaller, more intimate piece depicted a smiling Fluttershy. Twilight felt a twinge of something pour through her. Did any of the square frames contain her cheerful face? She frowned.
There was mirror off to the side, atop a large table sitting neatly in the far corner of the room. And, right in the middle of the floor stood the final piece of furniture she could see clearly: the bed.
It was all so... normal. In fact, this room was less chaotic than her own bedroom. How was that even possible? Had she snuck into the wrong place by mistake?
She already knew the answer. The large, round mattress was covered by a silky sheet that was not flattened out due to the bulk lying underneath it. From her position, Twilight could see that Discord's body was curled with the shape of his bed. Despite its size, though, his tail still protruded from under the covers and hung over the edge of the mattress. The small tuft of fur at the end was brushing lightly against the floor.
Twilight's nerves came back full force. She was standing in Discord's room, staring at him like a fool as she held a beautiful flower between her lips. What was she thinking?! She'd gone insane. Her sanity had disappeared, leaving a tiny, unfamiliar figment of herself in its place.
Gulping, she quickly squashed down those negative ideas. Any thoughts of retreat were her enemy. She had made it this far. Turning around now would set her right back to square one. Trying to halt the shiver in her legs, she slowly let her gaze shift to his face. From the distance she was at, she could just make out one very important detail.
Her mind went blank as she stared at his eyes. Or, rather specifically, his eyelids.
He was asleep.
Eyes going wide, Twilight felt a sudden rush of heat fill her cheeks. Of course he was asleep. Why wouldn't he be? It was the middle of the night, and even immortals needed their rest. Had she expected anything else? Had she not decided to do this so late, in the hopes that she wouldn't have to stutter through an explanation of why she was doing this?
Discord not being awake was a good thing. It would save her any embarrassment of this going wrong. She hadn't written a note, hadn't made any effort to create a card to explain who the rose was from. Feeling her eyebrows lower into a frown, Twilight was unable to contain the huff of disappointment that escaped her throat as she came to a startling conclusion.
She was not brave. Her courage had failed her. Yes, she was in his room, standing before him right now, with her chosen gift secured firmly in her mouth. But that didn't mean anything considering she had, apparently unconsciously, done all of this with the intention of not being found out. She was a coward. What was the point of giving Discord the flower if he would never know she was the one who'd presented it?
Shaking her head in fury, Twilight tightened her grip on the stem and glared angrily at the draconequus. He was not at fault here; she knew this. She was the one who'd grown fond of his presence, the pony who had developed a silly crush. All blame for her current predicament was on her.
Softening her expression considerably, she contemplated just turning around and leaving. Was all this hassle really necessary? Putting herself through such a ridiculous set of actions that seemed only to be causing her more grief did not seem beneficial.
A harsh laugh tore passed her dry lips. The sharp exhale was high pitched and obnoxiously loud. Stiffening, Twilight's gaze instantly snapped back to Discord's face as she caught signs of movement. Watching with a growing sense of horror, she couldn't contain the swell of panic that rushed through her as one of his ears perked up slightly. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to extinguish the glow from her horn, to spin on the spot and make a dash for the exit, but her body didn't seem to want to respond.
It felt like time stopped as she stood there, unmoving, holding her breath in the feeble attempt to make herself invisible. Eyes locked onto that single body part that was causing her all the worry, Twilight couldn't ignore the beat of her heart. It sounded like a hundred thundering hooves stampeding around her form in angry hysteria. Why was it at such a high volume? Couldn't her heart just shut up for once? If it continued on, she was positive he'd hear its frantic pulsing.
It's all in your head. The rational side of her mind was a blessing. Discord might have ridiculous levels of power, but even his hearing isn't that good.
Releasing the air that she'd been holding, Twilight allowed her breathing to return to a more reasonable rate. It took another moment or two, but all of her concerns were immediately washed away. He hadn't woken up. His ear had dropped back down, seemingly happy that it had not picked up on any intruding noise. For the first time since starting this whole ordeal, Twilight relaxed.
Her decision was set. She had come this far, so what would be the point in not fulfilling her goal? She lifted a leg. It moved without hesitance, and the previous tremble that had been obstructing it had all but vanished.
She was Twilight Sparkle. And she could do this.
Slowly closing the gap between the two of them, Twilight walked over to Discord and looked down at his sleeping form with a nervous but determined grin. His claw was tucked neatly under his chin, and neither were resting on the pillow that seemed to have been tossed unceremoniously to the other end of the bed.
His features looked somewhat unfamiliar in the soft, rosy glow of her magic. Calm and perfectly relaxed, it was almost weird to see how content he looked in sleep. Perhaps it was because she was so used to seeing a smirk or manic grin plastered across his face. Any other expression was extremely rare to witness, especially since his most sincere emotions only seemed to surface when Fluttershy was in view. The strange feeling she'd obtained when she'd first laid eyes on the pictures returned. Twilight paid it no attention. It wasn't important right now.
The silence was also rather shocking. Discord was such a noisy creature. Always talking, always laughing. Sound seemed to emit from him in a never ending wave. She had certainly expected him to be a sleep talker, or at the very least someone who snored. How was it possible that he could surprise her even when he wasn't actually doing anything?
She was able to catch the laugh this time, before it sprung out into the open. Flushing, her cheeks became rather toasty as she leant forward a smidgen. Quenching the sudden attack of embarrassment, Twilight lowered her head until their noses were barely touching - her muzzle was a mere inch from his, if her estimate were correct. She parted her lips. The flower dropped onto the mattress without any aural output. Lifting herself back up to her full height, Twilight scrutinised the unassuming red rose for a moment.
It looked completely innocent; fragile, compared to the powerful being whose space it now shared occupation with. Admiring her handy work for a second or two longer than was necessary, Twilight couldn't quite contain the full blown smile that made its way onto her face. Triumph was hers.
Satisfied with the outcome, she turned to the door. Her trot was far more confident now her mouth was no longer captive to her gift. Making sure to keep her steps quiet, she stopped at the entrance to the room and glanced back at Discord. Her eyes twinkled with mirth. Then, finally stepping back out into the hallway, she let the tiny heat at the tip of her horn extend out to once again envelope the door knob.
As she closed the door, she failed to spot the almost glowing yellow that had suddenly appeared in the room.
-o-
Discord did not take kindly to trespassers. Most ponies who dared to tread on property dubbed his would pay a hefty price, in the form of a fright or a prank. Given his nature, it was very rare that anyone would be idiotic enough to even attempt to gain entry to his space without permission.
So, when his sleep had been interrupted by the sudden, uninvited squeal of laughter, his immediate assumption had not been a pleasant one. Although his ear had shifted on its own accord - his ears usually moved instinctively when picking up a noise that had not been expected - he had managed to keep up a pretence of sleep as he'd tried to determine just who was stupid enough to try and sneak up on him.
It had taken whoever it was a moment to begin breathing again, and Discord had needed to force himself not to chuckle at that. The pony had to have seen him move. That meant, whoever it was, they were definitely attentive. The likelihood of it being a unicorn was incredibly high, considering the fact that he hadn't been able to hear the burn of a lantern's flame.
When he'd dropped his ear back down, it had caused an almost instantaneous reaction. The sound of hooves on carpet had become present, followed by a baffling scent. It had taken all his will power not to open his eyes when the smell of a flower had invaded his senses. Then, finally, the pony had moved away.
Staring into the now completely dark space that surrounded him, Discord blinked in utter bemusement at his bedroom door. He'd just managed to catch sight of a familiar pink aura latched around metal, before it had vanished when the door had been pulled shut.
"Twilight?" Discord muttered the name in confusion.
He'd been all set to play a silly prank on the pony who'd invaded his personal space. Having assumed it would be a guard - or Luna, as she was wont to check in on him from time to time under Celestia's orders - the fact that it was a totally different alicorn caught him completely by surprise. Why in the world would she enter his room?
Eyebrows rising as he remembered the odd aroma that was still wafting around the room, Discord's eyes drifted down to the red rose that had been placed on the bed with delicate precision. He just stared at it.
After a while, his lips pursed as curiosity began pouring through him. Drawing his paw out from under the silky warmth of his blanket, he trailed one of the pads along the stem from flower to tip. A pleased smile rose onto his lips as the pleasant smoothness of the plant became apparent. Where Twilight had found a rose with no thorns, he would never know.
Letting out a long sigh, he placed his paw under his claw and settled his head in a comfortable position on top of them. He glanced back at the door one final time, and grinned. For now, he would allow sleep to retake him. He was too tired to do anything about the new situation that had been presented to him. That didn't mean he'd forget about it, though, and he made a mental note to take the rose to breakfast with him in the morning.
After all, he wouldn't be Discord if he didn't tease her about it mercilessly the first chance he could.
-o-
