More Than Friends?

Chapters

Chapter 1: Blind Baiting
Chapter 2: Forgive And Forget
Chapter 3: Only Beginnings

Chapter 1: Blind Baiting

Discord sat in his imaginary floating chair, staring down at the familiar yellow pegasus that was Fluttershy. No words were said, but his face was scrunching up as if trying to read her pokerface. It’s not that Fluttershy was emotionless, it’s that she was… her usual self. She wasn’t one to hide things, and not usually playing poker, she didn’t really know she was supposed to. The smile on her face confused him, but he was trying his hardest.

“So, if I push this tea cake up here… that means I… raise?” Fluttershy cocked her head.

Discord slowly nodded, his eyes narrowing, trying to detect… ANYTHING. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed her eye twitching. A wicked grin spread across his face that could just barely fit behind the cards in his hand. “I’ll call.”

Fluttershy smiled a little more and nodded. He was about to play his cards when her eye twitched again, followed by a sneeze. “Oh my…” She sniffed.

“Eh… bless you.” Discord’s inflection fell down to show his internally shifting dilemma. That wasn’t a slip up, that was just the start of a sneeze. He glanced down at his hand. Three of a kind, it was good… but it wasn’t the best. It could be beaten pretty easily, but what did she have? Did he want to risk the tea cakes? They were Fluttershy’s, so he’d actually be gaining something (rather than last time, when it was his turn to bring the snacks). His tongue had escaped the corner of his mouth as he thought, his foot tapping loudly on a floor that wasn’t there as he hovered in place. “You know, I retract my call.” He announced.

Fluttershy cocked her head. “You can do that?”

“Of course you can? Would I lie to you?” Discord huffed, snapping his head away from her to the point where he would make a great role in the Exorcist.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You know this game better than I do.” Fluttershy’s smile returned after a brief blank and confused look. She pushed everything he had called back to his side and sat back down. And with that, Discord put his cards down.

“Oh, I fold. Your deceptions are too great, I must admit. I have not seen such a poker face since high school.” Discord sighed.

Fluttershy’s interest had returned in full blown curiosity. “You went to…”

“Anyways!” Discord interrupted. “You might as well show me your cards, I already folded.”

Fluttershy’s disrupted thoughts left her bewildered before she shook it off and nodded. Discord’s head was turned away, attempting to feign an un-interest in what she had. Regardless of if it was working, one eye slowly peeked as her cards were splayed out on the table. “I think I had you beat.” Fluttershy admitted whole-heartedly. His eyes caught each card one-by-one. He repeated each one in his head.

‘Ace… two… four… three...’ He continued, his eyes genuinely starting to grow at the sight. A whole world of his own thoughts cascaded through his head. Not only was Fluttershy not bluffing, but she had a straight? He had thought she didn’t even know what a straight was, yet there it wa- ‘Jack...’

Discord stared at the fifth and final card, his brain seeming unable to process the information he was seeing. “Discord? Your eye is twitching. Are you okay?” Fluttershy’s innocent and caring tone bled through the boiling air around the mischievous and chaotic master.

“That… is the worst hand you can get. No pairs, no three of a kinds, no four of a kinds, no flush, no full house, nothing.” He chuckled. “I had a three of a kind. I would have won. You are a natural at this game!”

“I am?” She twisted her face up as if trying to grasp the concept. Only a few more moments of processing before she lit up like a Hearth Warming tree.

Discord laughed. Before he met Fluttershy, he rarely got angry. Annoyed, maybe. But not angry. The rare times he did, it would involve a hundred years of droughts or floods. But with her, simply the smile on her face makes his emotions slip away like water through the cracks of the earth below, feeding the roots of their friendship. Every day she talked to him felt like a breath of fresh air, like he hadn’t started living until now. The forgiveness after Tirek was unbelievable. For once in his life… Discord truly believed that he didn’t deserve a second chance. He was ready to be alone, just as he had for thousands of years. It was only having a taste of social contact that would have served as a punishment that no amount of healing could fix.

Fluttershy grabbed his hand, snapping Discord from his rather eerie train of thoughts. Moments later, he felt something squishy replace her hand. When he looked down, he saw a tea cake from their betting pool. His eyes then glanced at the table. He only had a few remaining, as she had won the rest. But she had changed it entirely. Fluttershy only had a few on her side, and had pushed the rest to him. He wasn’t sure what to say. Taken from his depressing thoughts to the generosity of her friend was something he would probably never get used to. Especially if he had to see that smile every time, with so much genuinity that it hurt him. It hurt in a way that made his eyes water. Celestia’s greatest punishment of all was his reformation. He may have gained a gift, one he did not deserve, but with it came the great pains of a heart not even he knew he had. He had a lot to make up for…

“Did you want some more tea?” Fluttershy’s quiet voice was accompanied by the glass-like clanking of the pot being raised.

“I would love some.” Discord smiled, his gaze wandering out the window. Literally. A set of eyes slowly peered in from outside, and Discord could see the pair of them from an outside perspective, making him smile wider. He was spending time with his best friend, and he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.

“So, have you spent time with anyone else?” Fluttershy asked as she refilled his cup. His face slowly blanked.

“... Every now and again, but to be blunt, it is more to annoy than bond. You’re not free for tea parties and picnics all the time, so I have to keep myself occupied.” Discord snickered, remembering how he had turned all of the apples in Sweet Apple Acres into dragonfruit for an afternoon. It was the first time he had ever seen Applejack’s big brother laugh, as his little sister chased Discord around with a rake.

The sound of the tea-pot hitting the table rather loudly sent him spiraling not only from his thoughts, but straight to the ground. “Discord.” Fluttershy stated his name in the same manner that a disapproving mother would her child.

“It was only for the afternoon, and really, the value of a single dragon fruit is astronomically higher than even a dozen apples! Honestly, if dear Applejack had realized, she would have made a pretty sizable sum.” Discord waved his paw dismissively.

“That is NOT what I am upset about.” Fluttershy stood up, now seeming to tower over his prone form with an almost scary appearance. Mostly due to the fact that her disapproving eyes had slowly grown from laughable, to a nightmare. “After the incident with Tree Hugger, you promised me you’d make other friends.”

Discord remained silent for a long moment, before opening his mouth, closing it, and opening it again. “There’s a point in some ponies where trust can’t be regained. Even if I spent years, I doubt Applejack or Rainbow Dash would ever consider me a friend. Twilight and Rarity have only ever thought of me as a nuisance, and Pinkie Pie… well, it took me a while to figure out, but she sort of views me like a clown or magician you would hire for a birthday party. Whenever they’re around, they are beloved and the center of affection, but when they are gone…” Discord snapped his clawed fingers. “Poof, they disappear from your existence.”

“But they’re trying. When you were at that party and you talked with Twilight, did she ask you to leave?” Fluttershy crossed her arms.

“She gave me a few glances that even you would be able to plainly see meant ‘please leave me alone, or my migraine will get worse’. I gave her a couple pain killers before I left.” Discord added.

“That’s not what I said. Did she. Ask you. To leave?” Fluttershy restated her question.

“Vocally? No. Silently? Debatable.”

“And if you two were in each other’s shoes, what would you have done?”

“Probably stuff my face with a dozen coconut creams.” Discord murmured.

Fluttershy stared Discord directly in the eyes, not uttering another word.

“And… Probably spike the punch with poison joke.” Discord confessed, his eyes darting about nervously.

“Look at me Discord.” Fluttershy ordered, her tone making him cringe.

“And I would’ve played ring toss with donuts and Luna’s horn!” Discord said quickly, now biting his nails rapidly.

Fluttershy glared at him for a few more moments before slowly breathing in. She lifted up the tray of snacks and tea and started towards the kitchen. Discord frowned, slowly following her. “Where are you going?” He asked in an almost reluctant tone.

“If you aren’t going to take this seriously, then neither am I.” Fluttershy retorted, dumping the tea into the sink. Discord’s eyes snapped open, utter shock flowing through him at that moment. Soon after, she dumped all the tea-cakes into the trash. “You’re a grown chaotic lord, you don’t need tea parties anymore.”

Discord opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Fluttershy. “In fact, if you aren’t even going to try… then why should I?” Fluttershy admitted almost painfully, phasing Discord out as she walked past him and back to the couch.

Discord’s entire body flinched, almost violently. “It’s... not my fault most ponies still look at me as if I’m about to kidnap their whole family.”

Fluttershy ignored him, failing to even acknowledge his presence as she walked up to her room. Discord’s teeth ground together. It didn’t feel good to be ignored, and normally he would return such impertinence with a prank, or a hundred year drought. But this was Fluttershy… her ignoring him just hurt.

“Fluttershy!” He raises his voice. “What am I supposed to do?! Just… introduce myself to somepony and hope they don’t faint or run away?”

“That’s up to you to figure out.” Her voice finally retorted before a loud door slammed shut between them.

Discord dropped to the ground. So many thoughts raced around his head. Was he angry? Sad? Amused? In the mood for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream? After a moment, he finally settled on panic. What should he do? He needed to make a friend fast so Fluttershy wouldn’t be… What was Fluttershy feeling? Discord assumed anger, but the pain in her voice suggested otherwise.

Shaking his head, Discord forced his thoughts back on track. He needed to make another friend or else he could potentially lose Fluttershy’s friendship. The thought made his heart sink. He would rather be encased in stone and have Fluttershy still be his friend than lose her. But who would be willing to be his friend?

“There’s got to be somepony who’s got as much patience as Fluttershy… Oh, wait. No there isn’t.” Discord groaned, raking his claws through his mane. “C’mon, think, think! Is there another way to win Fluttershy back? No, when she gets like this, she doesn’t budge, I don’t think saying I’ve befriended the Smooze counts.”

Suddenly, a light bulb appears above his head. “Wait… If ponies fear Discord… All I have to do is not be Discord! In physical appearance, at least.” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, in his place is a brown furred rabbit.

“I shall befriend Angel!” He cried triumphantly, before pausing. “Oh… wait. I have to befriend a pony…” He returned to his normal(?) form.

“Come on… who would… The mail mare!” Discord laughed. “She’s chaotic enough to be my assistant!” He snapped his fingers again, and took the form of a ruggedly attractive stallion with grey-ish tan skin, a white mane with a black streak, just like his tail. He wore a brown tailcoat with a yellow dress shirt and a burgundy tie, as well as dark purple dress pants, and dark brown dress shoes. Conjuring a mirror, Discord looked himself over.

“Perfect.” He grinned. “I’m going to make myself a friend.”

Derpy stared down at her tray of muffins, each eye seeming to focus on a different one. Her mouth was open and a small bit of drool trickled down onto the table.

“Hehe! Good to see another happy customer!” Pinkie giggled as she trotted back to the pantry. Derpy was about to snatch one when a shadow enveloped her plate. Her mouth slowly turned to an O of not surprise, but curiosity. She tilted her head back and saw a strange pony standing above her.

“Hello my dear, might I sit with you?” The strange pony asked, smiling widely.

Derpy’s confusion left her immediately and was replaced with a goofy smile. She nodded, scooting over and patting the spot in the booth next to her.

The strange pony smiled wider and sat next in the space Derpy made. “You’re the local mail mare, are you not?”

Derpy nodded, her mouth already full of banana-nut muffin.

“You cause quite a bit of mischief, it is rather amusing, in the way you would giggle at a puppy accidentally tripping over its own paws.”

Derpy shrugged, not seeming to be offended by it. In fact, the smile on her face seemed to take it as a compliment.

“Where are my manners, my name is Discord” His thoughts went into a full blown panic. His hand clasped his mouth shut so quickly, his jaw popped slightly.

Derpy’s mouth reshaped into an O, but again, out of curiosity. She looked up at him with a questioning look.

“I- I mean… Disco Cord!” He grinned nervously.

Derpy wasn’t convinced, and Discord could see that plain as day. What happened next was surprising even to him. She extended a hand to him, offering a muffin as her goofy smile returned.

“W- Well, thank you.” Discord raised an eyebrow, before taking the muffin. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve disguised myself as a pony.” He takes the wrapping off the treat.

Derpy simply shook her head and continued eating her fruity and nutty muffin.

“That is… rather surprising.” Discord said, taking a bite. “I think I remember…” He pauses to swallow his bite of muffin. “I think I remember somepony yelling your name once… Kermie? Kirby? No, Derpy, I think it was.”

Derpy throws her arms up in celebration of his success, nodding to confirm her name.

Discord grins, taking another bite of his muffin. “Would you perhaps be interested in a glass chocolate milk? I find it goes rather good with bready things like muffins and cake.”

Derpy just stared at him with an expression that he could only describe as awe. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him gently.

“I take that as a yes!” Discord laughs, summoning two large glasses of chocolate milk.

“Bye bye!” Discord waved.

As Derpy walked away, she spun around, walking backwards as she waved back. She bumped into a ladder, causing a pony that was atop it to fall off and into the dirt with a loud thump. The tools he had set in the box on top also tumbled down and scattered across the ground just in time for someone to pass by and step on a nail. What Discord witnessed was a series of unfortunate events that would seem almost on par with his own twisted mind.

“... I feel… So proud of her.” Discord said as his eyes teared up.

Derpy stared at the crowd of half-injured and irritated ponies with a surprised O on her face. She stared at them for a few more moments before her attention returned to Discord, smiling once again and waving as she started walking backwards again.

“Never… walk forwards again.” Discord muttered as he salutes. As he stood, he could hear another disaster occurring around a corner. “Sweet gal… Quieter than Fluttershy though.”

Then Discord suddenly realized something. Only Derpy knew that he was Discord, and not just an eccentrically dressed pony. Heck, he was so eccentric, he could actually use the name Disco Cord! Except that would be too obvious… Not even Flutterwhy knew about his new form.

“Perhaps… it is time to find out what a few select mares truly think about me…” He muttered.

“Watch out!” A familiar voice rang out in warning.

Discord smiled. “Speaking of.”

As if expecting it, Discord held his arms out just in time for Rainbow Dash to tackle him out of no where.

“Ah! Sorry… was just in a hurry.” Dash groaned, pulling herself off his limp body and holding a hand out. He shook his head and took her hand, pulling him to his feet.

“It isn’t a problem, I’m used to living a life full of surprises.” Discord laughed. “Well… are you not Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, I guess I am. Who’s asking?” Rainbow smiled.

‘CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP’

“Why, my name is Random Thought.” Discord said, bowing. Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“Nice to meet you.” She returned.

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but you are one of the element bearers that encased Discord in stone the second time, as well as taking part in reforming him.”

“...Yeah? It was mostly Fluttershy, but… Ahem, I inspired him, ya know?” Dash straightened up and grinned.

“Yes, being the only pegasus to ever execute a Sonic Rainboom must be an inspiration to anypony, or anyone, in Discord’s case.” He laughed while internally rolling his eyes. “But there is a reason I ask about Discord in particular…”

Dash sulked for a short moment before sighing. “What about?”

“I am planning on writing a book on him, and how you and the other elements reformed him. Of course you would be featured in my book… and who wouldn’t be curious enough to buy something that explains why Discord is… well, Discord.” He smirked at that little nudge.

“Oh, okay. Well eh… he’s the master of chaos.” Dash started.

“God of Chaos.” Discord corrected. “... That is what everypony else has thus far called him.” He quickly added.

Dash narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “And he used to be a pain in the ass.”

Discord pulled out a pen and note book. “Used to be? Most ponies agree that he is still a rather large… annoyance.”

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s still Discord, but he’s changed. After what he did to us AND Fluttershy when Tirek came back… He didn’t deserve a second chance. I still have to visit Fluttershy occasionally to comfort her. She doesn’t tell him everything, but that day… It hurt her. It hurt her a lot.” Dash continued.

It took all of Discord’s willpower not to drop his pen and teleport back to Fluttershy’s cottage, but he continued writing. “Yes… I have heard that he was planning to go back to his ways, others claim he was coerced, or tricked into helping Tirek, which do you think happened?”

“Discord is still stronger than anypony I know. If he wanted to take over again, he could. I don’t really know what to think… Maybe he was tricked, but he learned his lesson. But there’s one thing I know for certain. He’s not getting another chance again… I’m not going to let anyone hurt Fluttershy like that again. I’ve seen enough of her tears for one lifetime.” Dash said, her tone seeming slightly more pained.

“You seem to care quite a bit about Fluttershy…” Discord said, his voice wavering slightly.

“I care about my friends, that’s who I am; Loyalty. But as long as Fluttershy trusts him, I trust him. As much as it hurts, I know she cares about him. I just don’t know how.”

Discord’s writing concluded shakily. “T- Thank you, Rainbow Dash. It seems that… even the stories cannot come close to what actually happened…”

Rainbow refused to look at him. “If you want to know more just… go see Rarity. I uh… I’m gonna go visit Fluttershy.” She trailed off into a mumble, turning and walking down towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Good idea…” Discord muttered, turning to see the top of Carousel Boutique past a few rows of houses.

After a bit of walking, Discord was faced with the front door to the fashionista's business and home. He peeked inside and saw Rarity sewing a dress, along with the CMC gathered around talking. Taking moment, he knocked on the door. The pitter-patter of feet was heard growing ever closer as the door cracked open, followed by three heads staring up at him.

“Hi!” Sweetie chimed in.

“Hello, I was wondering if Miss Rarity was in.” Discord said smoothly.

The three pip-squeaks nodded and pulled the door open. The ringing of the bell atop the door made Rarity’s ears twitch, followed by a smile flowing onto her face. “Welcome to my boutique. How may I help you?” Rarity looked up at him happily.

“My name is Random Thought. I came here at the recommendation of Rainbow Dash.” Discord began, “I understand you and the other Elements of Harmony were the ones to reform Discord.”

“Yes, why do you ask? Did he do something wrong?” Rarity began, growing a slightly worried look to replace her happy demeanor.

“Nono. Well,probably, but that isn’t why I’ve come.” Discord pulls out the same notebook he had used when questioning Rainbow. “I’m writing a book on him, his influence, his reformation into a… somewhat functioning member of society, and of course, his chaos and how it affects ponies and the world around him.”

“Oh, well then. Ask away.” Rarity’s smile returned as the crusaders returned to their activity.

Discord smiles, taking out a fountain pen. “What is your opinion of him, and what are your feelings towards him?”

“As meddlesome as he can be, I have become quite fond of him.” Rarity shrugged, her attention returning to the dress she was working on.

“Could you explain?” Discord asks.

“His acts are immature, but I can tell he is truly trying to be a friend. I only hope he has learned his lesson with Tirek. He won’t be getting another chance, and I would hate to see him ruin his last chance… He deserves to be happy, believe it or not.”

“While I agree that everypony deserves happiness, many seem to feel that he shouldn’t be forgiven. What would you say to those ponies?”

“I certainly understand, but you must view it from a broader perspective. He was a child with too much power. He hadn’t had a chance to learn societies morals, and never knew what making friends could do. From that moment back at the apple farm when he changed the ice back to normal, I saw something in him…” Rarity continued, her sewing slowing to a stop.

“What did you see in him?”

“Sadness.” She answered. “It was then that I knew he wasn’t some heartless monster. That sadness doesn’t just go away. I saw he had emotions, he just never had a chance to use them.” Rarity looked up at him and smiled. “With Tirek he strayed momentarily, but everyone makes mistakes. I have with that book, changing Ponyville into a golden paradi- I mean… ahem, hell. Rainbow with her incident with Tank and Cloudsdale. We’ve all made large mistakes, and truly… If Discord hadn’t betrayed us, Twilight never would have gotten her key. Tell me Random, do you believe in destiny?”

“Not always, but sometimes there are coincidences that are just… too perfect to be an event of random chance.” Discord replied.

“As do I. It was the tree that spawned that chest, and I believe it knew what was going to happen. It predicted his betrayal, but saw it as a chance to learn. That’s all Tirek was there for, was to in a sense reform Discord. Not only that, but our friendship has never been stronger. There’s one pony that trusts him above anyone, even Fluttershy.”

“Oh? That is a rather bold claim, Miss Rarity. Nopony has yet to mention a pony who has a stronger bond with him than Fluttershy.”

Rarity put a hand to her mouth and laughed gently. “Oh, you mustn’t think of it as a bond. They don’t speak much, but she shows it in her own ways. I don’t doubt he’s noticed it. If he hasn’t, then he must be blind.” She continued to laugh.

Discord felt a twinge of annoyance. “Well, Miss Rarity, who is this pony that you speak of?”

“Well…”

The bell of the shop rang as a familiar Filthy Rich strolled in, smiling as him and Rarity locked eyes. “It is done?”

“Of course! I’m sure your daughter will love it.” Rarity hopped to her feet and displayed the dress for him.

“Fantastic! Would you mind accompanying me? I need to ask you something.”

“Of course, dear.” Rarity nodded, walking the dress and Rich to the door. She turned back to Random and said, “Sorry, a tad busy right now. Go speak with Twilight, she’ll answer any further questions you need.”

Discord’s mind was demanding an answer, but in an exercise of self control, he smiled. “Thank you Miss Rarity, I will do just that.” Standing up, he put his notebook away. A spark of interest was burning in his heart, and he wasn’t going to stop until it was extinguished.

Chapter 2: Forgive And Forget

Twilight shivered at the sudden chill in the air. She glanced back to see the door open, and a new figure standing in the doorway. “Oh, hi.” Twilight waved the pony in.

“Good afternoon Princess Twilight.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around, who are you?” Twilight cocked her head.

“My name is Random Thought.” Discord says, bowing curtly. Twilight’s smile returned in full.

“Why don’t you sit down? What brings you to the castle?” Twilight’s magic pulled a chair out and turned hers to face him at the same time.

Discord takes the seat, taking out his notebook once again. “Well, Discord has brought me here. I am writing a book on him, his history, and his reformation. And you, being one of the six ponies who reformed him, will be an important part in this.”

“Sure!” Twilight seemed slightly excited about the subject, her full attention swaying to him.

“Well, first I must ask you about your feelings towards Discord.” Taking out his pen, Discord listens intently.

“He’s my friend.” Twilight said, leaving the two in an awkward silence.

“Perhaps… Could you explain further?” Discord asked.

Twilight shrugged. “I dunno. Do I need to?”

“Just stating that he is your friend will leave readers questioning why, when he has caused you as much grief as he has.” Discord tensed, hoping his bait would be enough for Twilight.

“He’s my friend because he needs them more than anything. He’s been alone his entire life, even if he didn’t realize it till we first met him.” She continued. “He saw that when he met Fluttershy, and I want him to be happy, regardless of what he’s done. No one deserves to be alone… no matter what you’ve done.”

Discord noded solemnly. “Words that truly fit your title of Princess of Friendship.”

“But even I have my doubts… I occasion.” Twilight laughed. “He’s still Discord. I don’t think I’d ever trust him as much as Celestia does.”

“Yes, Fluttershy does trust him quite a-” Discord paused, “Sorry… But for a moment, I thought you said somepony else’s name.”

“Mmhm.” Twilight nodded, a smile spreading her lips apart.

“... Mmhm? Does that mean that you did say somepony else's name?” Discord raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, yes I did.”

“Could you perhaps, repeat the name? I didn’t quite catch it.” Discord smirked internally, he couldn’t think of a single pony who trusted him more than Fluttershy.

“Princess Celestia.” Twilight stated with more emphasis.

Discord’s body and mind both froze. All in one instant, his entire world was thrown into… organized chaos. The very notion of such a thing disgusted him, and yet, suddenly everything fit into place.

“Princess Celestia… She was the one who asked you six to attempt reforming him.” Discord said, his voice slightly wavering.

“Yes.” Twilight nodded. “At first I thought she was insane… but I understand now. She saw this waaay before I did. Before anypony.”

“Saw what?” Discord asked, not even bothering to write in the notebook to keep his cover.

“She saw… him.” Twilight shrugged. “Who he is now.”

“Princess Celestia saw who he could become… This is… rather revealing.” Discord muttered.

“And if you think about it, nopony will, or ever has trusted him as much as the princess. She lived through however many punishing years under his rule, plus the rather abrupt return of Discord… yet she was the one who let him free again.” Twilight said, seeming rather lost in her own thoughts.

There was a long silence, the pair deep in their own thoughts.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Discord spoke, “Thank you Twilight, this was a rather illuminating chat.” He stood from his chair.

“Did you get enough for your book?” Twilight tilted her head as she spoke.

“Yes, more than enough.” Discord nodded.

Twilight smiled and stood up. “Nice talking to you. You should come back more often.”

“You know what…” Discord chuckled as he turned, “I think I will.”

Discord stayed in his pony form as he walked up to Fluttershy’s cottage, before knocking three times on the front door.

“Just a moment!” A familiar, heart tingling voice called.

“Take your time…” Discord smirked. Each footstep made him practically squee from excitement until the door itself opened and a pink haired pegasus peeked out.

“Hello, Fluttershy.” He smiled, “I made a friend.”

Fluttershy’s face lit up and the door flew open. The next thing he felt was her arms wrapped tightly around his body.

“Woah! Somepony’s happy to see me!” Discord laughed.

“I’m sorry about earlier… I was a little harsh.” Fluttershy blurted, burying her face in his neck.

“It is quite alright, my dear. After all, I probably would never have found out something if you hadn’t told me to make a friend.” Discord hugged her back.

Fluttershy’s smile grew threefold, tightening her grip and quite literally dangling off his body.

“I befriended the mail mare, Derpy.”

“Ooh! I figured you would meet one day.” Fluttershy giggled. “You both cause as much of a ruckus as the other.”

“She doesn’t even try!” Discord laughed heartily, “That’s what most impressed me!”

Letting Fluttershy down, Discord smiled, gesturing to himself. “Well, I know I’m not a pony, but I think I captured myself quite well in this form.”

“My little Discord looks so handsome.” Fluttershy complimented.

“Yes, I wasn’t actually… able to think up a name before I introduced myself to Derpy, so I accidentally let slip it’s me!” Discord laughed, “A- And then, I try to recover it… Can you guess what I tried to pass it off as?”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” She leaned in to listen.

“I stuttered saying ‘Oh! I- I mean D- Disco Cord!’” Discord nearly fell over from laughing so hard. Fluttershy snorted a laugh, quickly covering her mouth in time to muffle her second bout of laughter.

“A- And she just looks at me, and her face just said ‘I find that very hard to believe.’ I felt like I was gonna crack!” That time, Discord did fall over, laughing loudly. Fluttershy fell with him, landing atop his ponified body and giggling out of control.

“T- Then she just holds out a muffin and smiles! S- She didn’t even care that I was Discord!” His laughter began to die down, “A- And she didn’t… even say a word the entire time.” His laughter stopped, suddenly replaced by curiosity. Fluttershy’s smile slowly blanked, staring up at him with a sense of hope filling her.

“Really?” She asked.

“No… She didn’t even… Not a peep.” Discord furrowed his brow, “I wonder if she’s mute.”

“Who, Derpy? She just doesn’t talk very often.” Fluttershy shook her head.

“The look on her face when she was waving goodbye, and another disaster happens in her wake…” Discord chuckled, “It was just adorable.”

Fluttershy just smiled up at him for a few moments before finally talking. “I’m just so happy you’re making friends in your own way.”

Discord sat up, crossing his legs before scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I also… discovered something while talking to Rarity and Twilight.” He avoided mentioning that he was using an alias.

“What would that be?”

“That there has been a pony who has trusted me even more than you the entire time I have been released, perhaps even before.” Discord smiled to himself.

Fluttershy’s eyes glazed over momentarily as she thought. Her ears perked up moments later, along with the ever increasing smile. “And did you meet this pony?”

“No, it would take a while to sort out our… friendship, I suppose, and I didn’t want to make you wait that long.” Discord chuckled.

“I just want you to be happy. If you want to pursue a relationship, I’d be more than willing to adjust.” Fluttershy said. Even Discord was surprised at the suggestion coming from Fluttershy.

“A relationship?” Discord asked, completely taken off guard by Fluttershy’s words. The shy pegasus looked down, the tips of her index fingers pressing against each other.

“Well… maybe?” She mumbled.

“What do you mean relationship?” Discord tilted his head, scratching his chin.

“I um, well, uh… I thought you may have feelings for her.” Fluttershy continued slowly.

“Yes, I have feelings for her. As I do for you, and Twilight and the others.” Discord did not seem to understand what Fluttershy meant by ‘feelings’.

“I mean bigger feelings. More… intimate.”

Discord held out his hand, summoning a dictionary. “It’s odd, I’ve never heard that word before.” He said as he flipped through the pages.

Fluttershy placed her hands in her lap and stared at him, seeming to be waiting for him to click the meaning into place.

“I… I… Int… Integer, Intelligent… Aha! Intimate.” Discord smiled victoriously as he read. Immediately, his smile vanished as he dropped the book. “Very close personal relations, often involving romance.”

“I thought that’s what the flowers meant…” Fluttershy began.

“F- Flowers?” Discord stammered, his face completely blank, while his eyes were filled with shock.

“You know, when we first explored the castle. Twilight’s castle.” Fluttershy urged him on to remember.

“They… were an apology gift…?” Discord didn’t seem quite sure himself. “I don’t think they were a romantic gift… A romantic gift is a…” Discord snapped his fingers as he tried to think.

“...chocolates?” Fluttershy added.

Discord shook his head, “Ah! A giant statue of the gift receiver, made out of rice crispy squares! That’s romantic, right?”

Fluttershy just stared at Discord.

“... Um, too romantic?” He asked, unsurely.

“Flowers and chocolates are romantic. You just don’t understand what it means to a pony.” Fluttershy sighed. “Besides, you have to have noticed her actions.”

“Her actions? Besides arranging my release from stone and eventual reformation?” Discord asked.

“Well, that, and… remember the Gala when you were throwing a fit?”

Discord nodded shamefully.

“When you were on stage telling jokes, she was the only one that laughed.” Fluttershy gave a small smile.

Discord frowned. “A couple of them actually were from the time period of one thousand fifty years ago, so she could’ve just laughed because it is something she would understand?” He seemed to be trying to find explanations for Celestia’s actions. “And the rest because... Uh…” Discord strained to think of a reason.

“No matter what it is, what you do… Everypony else could be angry, or just fed up with you. But she always has a smile on her face. You never put her in a bad mood. It’s the opposite actually… she seems to lighten up when you’re around.” Fluttershy admitted.

Discord’s eye twitched, “Need some time… to process.”

Fluttershy waited patiently, shyly looking up at Discord for some form of acknowledgement.

“So… this is, well… No, still need more time.” Discord said.

What felt like hours passed, Discord staring into space all the while. Finally, he blinks.

“I think I shall get Celestia a statue of herself made of rice crispy squares.” Discord said, smiling widely.

“Or…” Fluttershy interjected. “You could talk to her.”

“Yes, but that can happen after the rice crispy statue. And I am not getting her chocolate.” Discord said firmly, “Celestia is thousands of years old, and she’s probably been given chocolates more times than she can count. Time for something she’s never gotten before.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “You go get her!” She cheered, giving Discord one final hug.

Discord hugged her back, getting to his feet and bringing Fluttershy with him. “Let’s hope we’re not all horribly mistaken.” He joked.

Canterlot:

“Oh, Luna.” Celestia called. Luna, who was playing a game with two fillies out in the courtyard, perked her ears up. She turned to her sister and waved. Celestia couldn’t help but smile at the scene, shaking her head slowly. “When you’re through, there was a task that Cadence requires your help with down in the Crystal Empire.”

Luna’s eyes seemed distant momentarily, as if lost in thought. After returning to reality, she nodded. Celestia, having her message across, turned and headed back into the castle and towards her chambers. When she pushed the door to her chamber open, she was greeted to the sight of a giant statue of herself, wings spread wide, made entirely of rice crispy squares. An eyebrow raised before she took a few steps towards it, observing every inch of it. She noticed a small envelope at the feet of her statue, and leaned down to open it.

Dear Celestia,

Because a box of chocolates is boring.

Discord

Celestia’s smile grew to almost silly proportions. She approached the statue and broke a bit off the wing, taking a bite. She chewed for about ten seconds before swallowing. “Mm, could use some milk.” She said aloud.

Suddenly, a 2 liter carton of chocolate milk appeared on a small pedestal. She lifted up the carton and opened it, dipping the piece of rice-crispy into it and then tossing it into her mouth. She chewed for a few moments before taking a big swig of the milk to wash it down. Once she swallowed, she put her hand to her mouth right after an impromptu burp. One she immediately started to giggle about directly after.

“Oh Celestia, how un-princess like of you!” A familiar voice laughed from a chair in the corner.

“It’s nice to see you again Discord.” Celestia turned to him without a second thought. What greeted her though, took her by mild surprise. Instead of the Draconequus she expected, she was greeted by a rather oddly dressed pony. She eyed his form closely before speaking again. “What brings you to my chambers?”

Discord pondered how he should answer. “The answer is rather simple… but is difficult to say.” He hinted.

“Well, I have time.” She added, taking a seat on her rather elegant bed. Celestia glanced over at Discord and patted the spot next to her.

Discord didn’t budge. “Are you certain…? I am rather doubtful I can think of how to say it.” He wrung his hands together nervously. “It’s n- nothing bad. Well, hopefully.”

“Discord, you don’t have to say anything. Just come here.” Celestia’s tone grew lighter, to a warmer, caring expression that made his heart skip a beat.

Again, Discord did not move an inch. “Except I do have to say something…” His gaze suddenly found the floor extremely interesting. “Well… I… Hm. Did you know that Luna missed a spot? In space? There’s a spot where literally nothing exists!”

“Is that so? I’ll have to inform her.” Celestia mused.

“It is right behind Orion's Belt, about-” Discord nodded.

“17 thousand light years past it? Yes, I know of it. I had assumed Luna knew of it, but I suppose everypony makes mistakes.” Celestia finished, staring at Discord with a knowing smile.

Discord rolled his eyes, “It’s never fun when you already know…” He paused in thought again, before breathing deeply. “Alright, I think I’ve thought of a way.”

The draconequus turned pony turned to face the statue he had made for Celestia. “My note said ‘Because a box of chocolates is boring’, and the only reason I’d ever think of getting you a box of chocolates is because-”

“You think you have romantic feelings toward me?”

Discord’s face drained of all its colour, before he chuckled. “Took the words right out of my mouth again…”

Celestia’s next move was with her hand, patting the bed once again. Finally, Discord stood, slowly walking over to the bed and flopping down next to the Sun Princess.

“When did the world start going mad, and how come it wasn’t because of me?” Discord asked. “The God of Chaos falling for the Princess of the Sun. I don’t think I could come up with something as ironic if I tried.”

“I don’t think it’s mad. It just means you’re more pony than you think.” Celestia smiled, placing her hand on top of his.

“Well right now, I’m all pony.” Discord joked, gesturing to himself. “Well, except for still having my chaos magic.”

Celestia stared down at him for a few moments before saying, “I forgive you.”

“Now the world truly has gone mad… And you know what?” Discord smiled, closing his hand around Celestia’s, “Mad is just how I like it. But… what are you forgiving me for?”

Celestia gave a gentle laugh. “For everything. The years you ruled over us, the trouble you put me through, and the betrayal when you joined Tirek. I forgive you.” She squeezed his hand softly. “I just thought you should know.”

Discord chuckled weakly as tears welled up in his eyes. A moment later, he was crying and laughing, his mind filled with conflicting emotions. “Y- You really are too much… I… just haven’t decided what you’re too much of.”

It was at that moment that Discord truly felt the warmth radiating from her body. The heat was melting the ice that he had been frozen in for thousands of years, all the loneliness just fading away as an embrace he couldn’t have seen coming from any distance suddenly wrapped around him.

“I’m… such an old fool.” Discord laughed as he returned the embrace.

“No, you’re young. So very young… You just haven’t had the chance to grow up.” Celestia tilted his head up gently and smiled down at the silent sobbing mess in her arms. It was then that Discord saw truly how old this young face in front of him was. All the wisdom in those eyes and care that hadn’t faded an ounce in the countless years he had despised her. And even through it all, she was forgiving him. She had him in her chambers, alone, no guards within sight. And she was holding him in her arms.

“It’s funny… You’re causing more chaos right now than I ever have…” Discord muttered, his laughter gone.

“Without chaos, there could be no order. There couldn’t be an Equestria without you.” Celestia added.

Discord choked out a small laugh through his tears, “Celestia… Thank you for stopping me a thousand years ago. Thank you for teaching Twilight to be able to stop me. T- Thank you…”

“Lets leave the past behind us. I’ll always be here for you, Discord.” She assured, gently kissing his forehead after wiping the tears from his cheeks.

Possessed by a surge of warmth, Discord leaned up and pushed his lips to Celestia’s, kissing her slightly awkwardly. A small ‘meep’ of surprise was heard from her, but the surprise didn’t last for long. Her arms squeezed him further and all thought faded from both their minds.

Slowly pulling away, Discord blushed hotly. “That was… New.”

“You could say that again.” Celestia laughed, her own face a tad in the red.

“I’ve never even… Considered having feelings towards another living creature, let alone a pony.” Discord admitted.

“You can’t say that anymore, can you?” Celestia asked, scooting herself closer to his body.

“No, I can’t.” Discord smiled. “It’s… nice.”

“I had thought the flowers you gave me was a sign that you had feelings to me, but then again… that was a bit cliché, and I figured you had something bigger planned.”

“Honestly? It was an apology gift, and was the only thing that I could think of that wouldn’t put ponies on edge. Imagine if I had given you something that I would normally call an apology gift. A strawberry milkshake volcano is not something that can fit into a Castle.”

“Oh that sounds delightful!” Celestia began to laugh at the thought. The sound of her laughter brought butterflies to Discord’s stomach.

“W- Well, the dragons residing there demanded I return it back to normal…” Discord said, blushing madly.

“They have no idea what they were missing.” Celestia finally calmed down with that same smile that made Discord happy returning to her face.

Discord gazed into her eyes for a long while, before looking away suddenly. “Could we- um…” He seemed to have trouble forcing the words from his mouth.

“Um?” Celestia egged him on.

“Could we kiss again?” Discord asked. This time it was her to surprise him. He felt himself being pulled up to her lips, then left there to ponder on the event transpiring. He slowly pushed forward, deepening the kiss, unsure of what to do next. When her lips left his, he felt as though it was cut short, leaving him wanting more. But before he had time to complain, she moved to the pillows and lied back, opening her arms for him. The sight of her splayed position made his thoughts scatter.

Deciding to follow Celestia, Discord lied back with her, noticing for the first time that he had made his pony form slightly above average height. Celestia towered above average height. The feeling of being smaller than her filled his mind with uncertain thoughts. He banished these thoughts, determined to simply enjoy the moment, wrapping his arms around her and smiling gently. Her magic lifted him up, lying Discord atop her and letting the back of his head sink into her bosom, along with her arms return to the embrace ending at his chest.

“C- Celestia…?” Discord stammered, somewhat startled by her actions.

“Just relax.” She cooed, raising a hand up and gently raking her fingers through his hair. Discord was starting to understand the term ‘tender’ more and more as the day went along.

“This… feels odd.” Discord muttered.

“Sorry if you don’t like it, but I just don’t want to let you go.” Celestia smiled, kissing the top of his head and continuing to stroke it in a motherly fashion. Discord had never had any parents, in fact, he didn’t even know how he came to be. But if there ever was a ‘Discord’s Mother’, this felt like it.

“No, I don’t mind, but it’s making me think of things that I don’t understand.” Discord trailed off.

“Like what?”

Discord paused. “I… don’t even know.”

“That’s fine. You don’t need to say anything.” Celestia assured, squeezing him a little tighter.

“I like it when you hug me like that…” Discord chuckled awkwardly.

“I like it too. And I have nothing better to do today, so I guess that means I can do it as long as you want.” She said softly.

Discord blushed. “Well, I guess I’m spending lots of time as a pony from now on.”

“It does make it easier to do this.” Celestia started, lifting him up a little further and tightening the hug as she buried her face into his hair.

“Celestia? Perhaps you could… answer a few questions for me.” Discord said carefully.

“Anything.” She nodded.

“What do we do now? What do ponies do when they love each other?”

“That depends on… how far you wish to go.” Celestia replied.

“How far?” Discord questioned.

“How much do you know of intimacy?”

“I looked it up in the dictionary earlier. It is a deep emotional connection between two ponies, often involving romance.” Discord said proudly.

“And how accurate is your… pony form.” Celestia asked, her gaze moving down to his crotch.

“I think it’s completely accurate, I can change it if I got something wrong.” Discord grinned, oblivious to Celestia’s gaze.

“And tell me, why do ponies wear clothes?”

“Faaaashion~” Discord cried in a perfect imitation of Rarity’s voice.

“Yes, that is one. But I mean the baser reason.”

“Hm. Wasn’t it… Ah, yes. It started as protection during harsh winters, and just caught on, I suppose.” Discord said idly. “Comfort reasons, I think.”

“Yes. And what is it considered if you do not wear clothes in public?”

“Taboo?” Discord answered, questioning where this train of conversation was headed.

“So in a sense, clothes are used to cover up…” Celestia pantomimed a circle in mid-air, asking him to complete the sentence.

“... Midriffs? No wait… there are clothes that show the midriff…” Discord snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to think.

“Lower.” She insisted.

“Lower? Ponies show off their cutie mark all the time…” Discord’s brow furrowed. “Hmm.”

“There are parts between those two, Discord.” Celestia laughed.

“The groin?” Discord asked.

“Indeed. And could you think of reasons why that area may be a tad taboo to show in public?”

“Why would ponies wear clothes to cover their groin?” He asked in a bewildered voice.

“Well, it is an organ that enables reproduction. Many stallions and mares have considered it something only to reveal when you’re alone, or with somepony you love…” She continued.

“To… cover the reproduction organ.” Discord sniggered. “That’s sounds like a rather idiotic reason.”

“Oh? Then perhaps you wish to take them off if it’s so idiotic.”

“Uh… Is there a reason to? I mean, I’d have to get up… and I’m comfortable here.” Discord stammered.

Celestia just grinned, staring at him as if seeing the understanding spark in his eyes.

“... Okay, why did that make me uncomfortable?” Discord asked, “I usually never wear clothes, so why does being a pony change that?”

“Because you’re trying to fit in with the rest of pony society. And when you do that, you become self conscious about your body. It’s completely natural.” Celestia assured, gently kissing his forehead again.

“Why?” Such an innocent question that had so many answers that would shatter that innocence.

“Well, reproduction is such a private concern that when most people talk about it, it’s either awkward, or spoken quietly. And generally a lot of stallions can feel inadequate if their… tool… is smaller than average, or not to a mare’s liking. So stallions can be a bit shy when it comes to revealing the more intimate areas.”

“Why? I still don’t understand why.” Discord insisted.

“It’s… a stereotype that the bigger a stallion, the more pleasurable it will be for the mare involved in said recreation.” Celestia continued.

“Wait- Pleasurable?” Discord raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Reproduction is required to make sure the species doesn’t die out. And to make it more interesting, it feels pleasurable to do so to encourage the activity.”

Discord paused to think. “So… Then why is it taboo?”

“Because most ponies view society as higher class, and view the act of recreation to be a more private, base instinct. So it’s generally left in the bedroom.” She tried to answer.

“That sounds rather backwards.” Discord muttered.

“I feel as if this isn’t going anywhere.” She giggled to herself.

“Agreed. We’re just going in circles at this point.” Discord chuckled.

“Perhaps it’s because when stallions and mares see each other naked, it activates certain instincts that would make every day work impossible.”

“Ah, that makes more sense.” Discord commented. He felt Celestia shift around, now leaving the warmth of her chest and sinking instead into the pillow below. The next thing he knew, she was on top of him this time, staring down at the sandwiched pony.

“Uh… Question, why do mares also cover their chests?” Discord asked nervously.

“Much for the same reason. Forbidden fruit, as they were…” Celestia answered, her arms coming together and resting on his chest, giving him full view of hers. “The things they can do to ponies are quite… strong.”

Discord nodded, staring at Celestia’s breasts, not knowing why his gaze was being drawn to them, but not necessarily caring either. “They are rather… Magnetic to the eyes.”

Celestia just smiled, sitting up and reaching behind herself. A low zipping sound could be heard as her white dress seemed to melt off her body and pool down by her waist. Whatever bra she was wearing, if any at all, was no where to be seen.

Discord inhaled sharply, staring down at the large pillowy mounds. “Oh… wow. They’re beautiful…”

He felt himself being forced to sit up slowly due to her magic, coming closer and closer until his face was mere inches away from her bountiful globes. “Perhaps you’d like to see just how persuasive they can be?” She inquired in a more sultry tone, one that made Discord feel strangely insignificant.

Discord attempted to speak, but couldn’t. He could only nod shakily.

“Do you want to touch them?”

He nodded again. Celestia straightened up, placing her hands to her side and giving him free reign. Discord slowly reached up, and cupped her left breast with his right hand, letting out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in. A gentle moan escaped Celestia’s lips, getting his attention immediately.

“Are you alright?” He asked, worried for his newfound love. Her breathing was let out as a relaxed sigh.

“It felt nice, don’t worry.” She assured. Her hands moved up to his, squeezing them against her chest as a sign that it was okay.

Discord smiled, before groping Celestia more enthusiastically, bringing his other hand to massage her other breast. Another gentle moan was heard, along with her head falling to the side.

“Are you enjoying this?” Discord asked, smiling widely, feeling a sense of pride at making Celestia feel ‘nice’.

“Keep it up mister, and I’ll have to return the favor.” She hummed softly. Taking this as a sign to massage her breasts harder, Discord presses into them with his palm, before squeezing them almost painfully, and then letting go to run his hands all around the large mountains of marshmallowy flesh. A particularly loud gasp escaped her, Celestia’s hands gripping his shoulders tightly. “Mm, ohh that’s nice.” She mumbled, her eyes closed, obviously enjoying the massage he was so vigorously giving.

“You make being a mare sound fun…” Discord chuckled softly as he gave Celestia’s nipple an experimental prod. He was rewarded with pleasant moans that were like music to his ears.

“Perhaps it’s time for… you to relax?” Celestia suggested, sliding her hand onto his and gripping them just strong enough to stop his ministrations.

“What would that entail?” Discord asked with a gentle smile. Celestia pushed him onto his back and slid her hands under his shirt, letting her smooth palms tickle him in a pleasant manner.

“I… think I agree. Relaxing sounds very appealing right now.” Discord sighed contentedly. Celestia’s hands felt his new body up and down as her lips made contact with his still clothed crotch. A rather sizable bulge was already starting to become quite obvious.

“Looks like somepony is already getting excited.” She cooed, nibbling on the growing bulge.

Discord gasped sharply, before groaning loudly in delight. “Wuh… what was that?” He panted.

“That was just the beginning.” Celestia grinned, her hands gripping the waistline of his pants and started to slip them down slowly.

As Discord’s member came into view, Celestia gasped. It had the head and shaft of a normal pony dick, but at the base was a rather large knot. The entire thing had a dark maroon colour, and twitched as Celestia stared.

“Did I get it wrong? I’ve never actually seen a pony’s reproduction organ up close before, so I just went what mine looks like.” Discord mumbled.

Celestia couldn’t help but stare with an avid fascination at the shape and form. Her eyes wandered up to his at the same time as a smile hit her face. “It’s perfect.”

“R- Really?” Discord asked, surprised by Celestia’s response. Her warm muzzle pressed against it in a tender act that seemed fit for a kitten. Discord groaned in pleasure at Celestia’s action, biting his lower lip. Her mouth opened, letting her hot breath run down the shaft for a moment before her tongue lapped at the tip. The flood of sensations was unlike anything the chaotic master had ever encountered. Nothing could have prepared him for the plush lips slowly engulfing his unused appendage.

“Celestia~” He moaned loudly, his hands aimlessly gripping the bedsheets. “T- This feel wonderful!”

Celestia glanced up at him once more. He swore he saw the corners of her mouth curl up into a smile before stretching further as she took more into her throat. The smooth flesh of her neck seemed to bulge as she swallowed vigorously in an attempt to get more inside, and to massage him as best as possible.

“Hahhhh… D- Does it feel good for you…? To do that?” Discord asked, his voice wavering. Celestia rolled her eyes and retorted with a gently squeeze of his sack, causing his voice to peak into a pleasure filled cry. She slowly pulled him from her tight throat, letting his pole sit in the cool air of the room, only for her to assault it with her tongue mere seconds later.

Discord’s hand reached out, pushing Celestia away slightly. “You… didn’t answer my question…” He panted.

“Which one?” She inquired, bringing her head down and resting it in his lap. The sight brought a small smile to his face.

“Does it feel good for you when you do that? To… lick and suck on it?”

“You’re asking if my tongue and throat feel pleasure?” Celestia deadpanned. She thought about her words for a moment before realizing that when it came to sex, Discord truly was clueless. She sighed and shook her head. “No, but it’s my turn to help you.”

This caused Discord to frown. “I don’t want to if it doesn’t make you feel good.” He said stubbornly.

“Well, did squeezing my chest make you feel good?” She retorted with an almost feigned pout.

“Yes.” Discord shot back, turning away. “It… doesn’t feel good in my mind unless I’m making you feel good.”

Celestia’s smile returned in full force, looking so goofily wide that Discord felt his face heating up at the sight of it.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you smiling that widely. It’s rather disconcerting.” Discord laughed.

Celestia sat up in her full princess demeanor. She slowly slid off the bed and the rest of her clothes that hadn’t fallen simply due to the fact she had been either sitting, or lying down, dropped to the ground. “Well, lets do something that we’ll both enjoy.” She suggested. Her tone was equally happy as it was sultry, much like earlier. Again, Discord had that feeling like he was so small, and this figure in front of him had come from a dimension of pure beauty. His eyes were drawn to the puffy pink lips between her legs.

“That’s… A female reproduction organ?” Discord asked, his question both curious, and eager.

“Oh yes, and it’s quite sensitive.” Celestia admitted, slowly turning around to give him an even greater view as her hands slid from her chest and down her sides in a suggestive manner.

“C- Celestia…?” Discord stammered, “When did you b- become so… beautiful?” He reached out and gently massaged her hips.

“Perhaps you just never looked. I can see it works both ways, though I discovered your beauty sooner than you discovered mine.” She chuckled, backing up closer to him so her plump posterior was right in his face.

After a brief pause, Discord leans forward to tenderly kiss Celestia right above her tail. “There is no greater beauty than yours…” His fingers gently traced circles around the sun in Celestia’s cutie mark. She shivered audibly, leaning her head back in a relaxed manner. She slowly pushed further back, taking a seat in Discord’s lap and trapping his length between her thighs, and letting him feel even more of her flawless skin against his. Discord groaned before reaching around Celestia, cupping her breast in one hand, the other slowly snaking its way down to her puffy lower lips.

“Does it feel good, Celestia?” He asked as his finger teased her vulva. Discord saw that she was not capable of responding, her eyes shut and her mouth hanging open as her jaw quivered in an attempt to respond. “I’m glad that it does.” Discord smirked, sliding a finger into the dripping folds of Celestia’s most intimate area. Finally she uttered something. There were no audible words, only a high pitched moan that extended far beyond her earlier moans that he had caused when massaging her breasts for the first time. This had much more emotion in it.

“Ah, yes… I do think I enjoy this much more than what you were doing earlier.” Discord chuckled, wiggling his finger inside of Celestia as he pinched her nipple. He felt her entire body quake against his, her legs tightening around his own abandoned appendage.

“I have to a-admit… I am too.” She panted. Discord kissed her neck tenderly, flicking his slightly forked tongue across her sensitive skin, causing Celestia to shiver.

“This is all rather new to me, so why don’t you guide me through exactly what you want me to do…” Discord chuckled. By this point he had a rough idea of what Celestia wanted, but teasing her and having her moan out what she wanted him to do sounded much more appealing.

Celestia nudged him onto his back and started scooting back up his chest, giving him quite a view before hovering her pussy over his mouth. Discord smirked as he leaned up, before giving the glistening folds a long, slow, deliberate lick. Like a puppet, every string was being pulled. Celestia’s lips twitched, giving his mouth more nectar for him to taste.

“Vanilla icing… Why am I not surprised?” Discord teased, and before Celestia had a chance to respond, he gave a much more forceful lick to the dripping, twitching lips before him. “I must ask, are-”

The chaotic pony let out a muffled shout, mostly due to surprise as Celestia lowered entirely onto his face. “Quiet, keep licking.” She ordered. That was a tone he rarely heard, one that sent a genuine shiver down his spine. Discord, not one to enjoy angering Celestia (not anymore, at least), did as he was told, quickly lapping at the puffy muzzle that was silencing him. The divine mare atop of him cooed, gently grinding her hips further into his face. “Much better.”

If Discord could see her, he would see her closed eyes and slouched head. She was beginning to like spending time with him if this is what it entailed. It was all her fault this was happening, but that was beside the point. Not just content with licking anymore, Discord started to nibble and suckle on Celestia’s lower lips. The scent was intoxicating, and Discord wanted more. Her cries were growing more forceful, showing her climax was close. His tongue could feel her squeezing tighter as it became more and more difficult to drink the ever increasing fluids. Discord felt her hands press into his chest in an attempt to support herself. It seemed she was finding it more difficult to sit still.

In an attempt to bring greater pleasure to the Sun Princess, Discord stuck his entire tongue into her passage, wriggling it around like a snake as Celestia’s fluid’s ran down his cheeks and chin, completely drenching his lower face and some of his neck. Celestia’s voice caught in her throat, a choked scream all that managed to utter before an involuntary attempt to drown Discord. The heat flared up and down her body, annihilating her mind with the static blurring her thoughts.

As Celestia’s orgasm continued, she fell to the side, off of Discord, who slowly sat up. Looking down at the motionless pony, he smiled widely, waiting for a bout of praise, or perhaps incoherent babbling. But as the seconds dragged on, his smile quickly vanished.

“Oh buck, I’ve killed her.” Discord said in horror, his eye twitched and his hands trembled. “Oh no, oh no, oh no.” He continued his chanting of ‘oh no’ as he stood and paced around the room in a panic.

Celestia peeked an eye open, watching his panicked paces. She was unable to keep from smiling, hoping he didn’t notice.

“Dammit, what do I do? How did this happen? I- I was just trying to pleasure her. It’s my fault… Celestia’s dead and it’s my fault…” Discord fell to his knees, “I… I’m sorry Celestia. For everything. I didn’t deserve your forgiveness… I didn’t deserve being able to love you. I love you Celestia…”

Celestia could no longer keep her eyes closed. The smile on her face would have dropped off if it got any wider. It wasn’t one of mockery or comedy of any sort. It was one from absolute genuinity. “You really have changed.”

Discord froze, before turning quickly and diving at Celestia, wrapping his arms around her. “YOU’RE ALIVE!”

The sound of her laughter made all his worries melt away. It was a sound he never wanted to stop. When his gaze actually met her features, what he saw confused him. She was smiling, but there was some sort of liquid running down her cheeks.

“Celestia? Why are… Are you crying?”

The sun princess just shook her head before pulling him into yet another gentle embrace.

“Why did you go all limp? You scared me!” Discord laughed. Her silence was driving a stake through his heart, beginning to worry him. “Celestia, what’s wrong?”

Finally, her face came into view again as the embrace parted, but only slightly. The tears had lessened. “Nothing. Nothing at all…” She smiled, placing a pale hand to his cheek.

“But ponies cry when they’re sad.” Discord muttered, “Why are you sad?”

Celestia’s smile only seemed to grow. “There’s a lot you need to learn about ponies.”

Discord sighed, before nodding. “I’m learning, but I’m not really at the point I should be.”

“You’ll go at your own pace. Not an iota faster nor slower. And I will make sure of that.” Celestia gave him a small kiss onto his neglected lips. “I’ll be with you all the way. And so long as you promise me the same, I shall make sure you will never be alone again.”

Discord smiled before nodding. “I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly” He started, doing the motions as a cupcake appeared in his hand, “Stick a cupcake in my eye.” Icing slowly dripped down his face as he grinned widely after splatting the cupcake into his eye.

“Now that’s a promise.” She giggled, leaning close and running her tongue up his cheek, slowly removing all the frosting.

“Uh, heh.” Discord blushed while chuckling, “I promise I’ll stay by your side forever.”

“FOOOORREEEEEVVVEEEERRRR!” A voice suddenly said.

Celestia’s brows furrowed momentarily before her horn glowed a bright, yet gentle glow. All the doors and windows locked, along with the curtains sliding over all possible entrances.

“Awwww!” The familiar voice whined.

“Not a word of this to anypony Pinkie.” Discord laughed, “Now go back to Ponyville.”

“Okie Dokie Loki!” Pinkie’s voice quipped brightly.

Discord’s attention was brought back to his entrancing beloved as her hands turned his head towards her again. “Tell me… how does it feel not only to be loved, but wanted?” She asked.

“It makes me feel warm and… kinda queezy.” Discord admitted, “Like I drank a gallon of soda and a kilo of pop rocks.”

“Well,” She began, pressing her body against him and letting him feel the warmth of their skin colliding once more. “How does it feel not only to be wanted… but needed.” Celestia’s tone was almost a whisper, that slight seductive undertone returning once more and making him again feel oh so small.

Discord inhaled sharply, looking up at the taller pony. “Uh… M- Make that a barrel of soda and a metric ton of pop rocks.”

Celestia couldn’t quite believe how much control she had over the embodiment of chaos. She would never take advantage of him, especially after what had just transpired. That doesn’t mean she couldn’t have fun though. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “Discord.”

His entire body stiffened. “Y- Yes?”

“How about we take this up a level?” She suggested.

Quicking putting two and two together to make five, Discord chuckled nervously. “You mean, uh… reproduction?” He continued to chuckle, completely unsure of what to do, or even if that was what Celestia ment.

“If you’re up for it. Just being here is good enough for me.” She added. The fact that not only was Celestia paying attention to him, acting like a friend (and more), but she was giving him choice in the matter was making his body feel hot.

After a long pause in which Discord opened his mouth to speak many times, before closing it again. Finally he simply shrugged. “Do you think I’m ‘up for it’?” He asked.

Celestia glanced down at his almost alien shaft, seeing that it was as rock hard as it was when this began. Her stare returned to him, almost unimpressed at his question. “Could not tell you off the top of my head.”

Discord sighed, before nodding. “I suppose I am ‘up for it’ physically, but what will change between us? I’ve seen ponies come to hate each other from things related to reproduction.”

“Discord.” Celestia’s smile seemed to grow, as if he said something funny. Before he could ask, she started to laugh.

“Usually I have to tell a joke to make you laugh.” Discord raised an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?”

“Ponies can grow apart, but not all ‘hate’ one another. You are a special case though.”

“How so? Other than the obvious God of Chaos thing.”

“There were times when I doubted your reformation. But as of late, you surprised me. You showed me you had a heart, and care about not only Fluttershy, but me. You’re still doing it. You care about me enough to want to take it slow because you don’t want to lose me. You think we’ll hate each other, but Discord… In a matter of, well, an afternoon, you have won my affection.”

Discord simply stared, unable to believe what he was hearing. The feel of her embrace sent him spiraling into a tornado of emotions once again. “I did doubt you once, that is true. But I have never, ever, been so wrong… I am so proud of you.”

A strange sound escaped Discord’s throat, the result of him attempting to speak, but his voice giving way to silence once more. He felt himself shifting onto her body as she lied back onto the fluffy bed. “So when I ask you what you want to do, regardless of your choice, there will never be any negativity from me. Our relationship can only grow, I assure you. And there is not a pony alive that can take me away from you.”

Celestia’s voice was like velvet, but the words she wove drew tears to his eyes. These weren’t those of sadness as earlier, however.

“Celestia…? Why am I crying? I don’t feel sad.” Discord whispered.

“Because there is no label strong enough to describe the emotion you’re feeling.” Celestia replied, bringing his head closer to hers. “I have felt it for the first time in quite a while… and even I am uncertain of it’s origin.” A small laugh escaped her. Finally, their mouths clasped together in the beginnings of the climactic end to the first of many days to come.

Chapter 3: Only Beginnings

Discord wasn’t aware of what had just happened for another few moments of staring at the ceiling. His eyes wandered down to the sun princess nestled against his body. Did they have sex? Is that was sex was? Discord didn’t understand, he didn’t even remember it.

“Oh, we just fell asleep.” Discord said in a low and quiet revelation. “Strange, I never fall asleep that easily.”

As Celestia shifted further up his body, more of her warmth blanketed him. The heat was better than any of the plush sheets or pillows in this room.

“Should I wake her…? Or…” Discord mumbled to himself, looking down at the slumbering alicorn as she hummed quietly in her sleep. Slowly reaching down, he pokes her nose. “Um… Wakey?”

The princess stirred slightly, but remained adamant to stay in her nocturnal form. Discord poked her again. “Wakey uptime.” He chuckled.

Sighing, Discord cocked an eyebrow before poking Celestia again. “C’mon, my leg’s numb.”

A light knocking was heard on the chamber door, followed by an eerily familiar voice. “Sister?”

Discord’s heart sank as he started repeatedly poking Celestia’s nose like a child impatiently waiting for an elevator by spamming the button. “Wake up wake up wake up.” He quietly chanted.

“Sister, it’s nearly time to raise the sun. Usually I am the last to wake, but you haven’t quite… done your usual routine.” Luna’s curiosity was obvious in her voice, hoping for answers but not wanting to pry at the same time.

Discord’s hand was a blur as he poked Celestia’s nose a dozen times a second. “Not good not good not good wake up wake up.”

The handle to the room started to twist, making his heart quite literally explode from his chest in an almost comedic fashion. As one last ditch effort, he set the scene in less than a second, and when the door opened, Luna was greeted with the sight of Celestia clumsily brushing her mane in front of her vanity mirror, her pajamas completely wrinkled and disheveled.

“Oh. Perhaps I was overzealous.” Luna admitted almost disappointedly. Celestia merely nodded, her head lazily flopping up and down. “How did you sleep?” Celestia shrugged in response. Luna squinted, staring at her sister for a few moments before the concern in her voice made Discord cringe.

“Are you alright sister? You seem a bit… distant.”

High above the two sisters, Discord was hurriedly pulling the puppet strings he had attached to Celestia. Unfortunately, as he prepared to project his voice, he accidentally pulled too hard, and the string attached to Celestia’s arm snapped.

"Yes Luna, I'm good. Thank you." Celestia said as her left arm completely fell limp, slamming onto the vanity tabletop. Discord flinched, but kept going, thankful that Celestia was facing away from Luna, or she might have seen the fish mouth movement of her sister’s lips. Luna seemed to grit her teeth, cringing a few steps back at the loud pound of Celestia’s fist.

“I didn’t mean to disturb…” Luna’s apology was cut off as Celestia did something that made Discord nearly faint in panic. She snored, making Discord lose his grip and drop the strings as Celestia’s head flopped onto the vanity. Luna’s mouth slowly parted as if to say something, only to drown it out in silence. “...you… are you okay?”

Discord watched in horror as a bundle of strings slowly drifted down, before landing in Luna’s mane, and on her horn. Luna’s arm snapped up as if attempting to swat something out of her hair. As soon as she did so, Celestia fell to the side and out of the chair. The string wrapped around Luna’s arm and yanked the night princess forward with a squeal.

As he watched the trainwreck unfold before him, Discord weighed his options. Get caught by Luna and then get turned into a small puddle of jello, bail completely and possibly ruin his new relationship with Celestia, or just keep watching and hope for the best. Deciding to hope for the best, he floated higher still, until he was touching the ludicrously high ceiling. Once his gaze snapped back to the scene, he saw that Luna had become even more tangled. Each time she thrashed, one of Celestia’s limbs flailed.

“Stop messing around and get me out!” Luna fumed, staring down at her sister in a bout of confused and annoyed kicks. As Luna’s leg shot out in the kick, Celestia’s leg shot forward and tripped Luna. Luna yelped as Celestia was raised up into the air momentarily before the weight of the older princess sent Luna up to the ceiling, pinning her there. Luna’s head banged repeatedly against the ceiling in annoyance. Her eyes slowly scanned to her left, now eye-to-eye with an unfamiliar pony. Luna’s movement just melted to nothing.

“Uh… Hello!” Discord said in a faux-cheerful tone.

“H-hello?” Luna’s greeting was almost over-extended. Discord merely smiled, his expression strained to keep a nonchalant look. “Are you a… guest?”

“Ah… yes!” Discord said, hoping Luna wouldn’t notice the fact that he was floating.

“That’s good… and what brings you-” Luna glanced down at the ground far below them. “To our ceiling?”

“Um… Nothing in particular.” Discord smiled nervously.

Luna stared at him, not uttering another word as if something caught her eye.

“Yes?” Discord prompted, dreading what Luna was going to say. Her mouth opened to speak, but was shocked into a simple squeak as the two of them (one unwilling) felt freefall take them towards the floor.

“AN INVISIBLE WIZARD DID IT!” Discord cried out, as he watched the ground speed towards him. Moments before collision, momentum simply ceased, replaced by a warm glow surrounding their bodies. Discord slowly glanced up to see Celestia towering over him.

“Sister, what…?”

“Luna, would you mind waiting in the hall for a moment?” Celestia said with a smile as Luna was propped up onto her feet gently.

“But…”

“I promise we will talk, just give me one minute.”

Luna reluctantly nodded and started to walk towards the door. Her face was a light shade of red, and her stride was wobbly as if adjusting to the blood circulating in her body at an angle that would be considered ‘right-side-up’. As soon as she was gone, Celestia’s face washed from her happy expression to what he could only describe as apathetic. The skepticism had already begun as she scanned his face for answers, knowing she was going to receive a false one or two.

“Um… An invisible wizard did it. Sticking to that.” Discord chuckled nervously. Celestia’s ear twitched, pointed toward the door as if listening to something. A mere ten seconds later and Discord was dropped. He braced himself for the hard floor, but was instead greeted by her mattress. He hadn’t even realized she moved his spatial position.

“A- A guinea pig with a weed wacker!” Discord continued as sweat began dripping down his forehead. Celestia kneeled down, his gaze snapping away to avoid her own as it neared his prone level. Her hand gently tilted it back towards her. A small rag was now in her hand. Discord’s mind snapped to confusion. Just like when he was moved, there was no evidence of any magic being used. The thought was quickly dismissed as she slowly started to wipe the sweat from his forehead and brows.

“I can wait as long as you want.” She said calmly, a caring smile returning to compliment her caring touch.

“I… woke up, and you were still asleep.” Discord began, “I tried waking you gently, but it didn’t work. Then Luna knocked saying it was getting close to sunrise, and I panicked!”

Her finger shushed him, the smile on her face growing. Celestia knew the truth and was just happy to hear him say it. Discord knew she knew, and was wondering how she knew, or if she knew he knew she knew. Celestia continued her efforts, cleaning and drying his face softly.

“I kept trying to wake you up, but then Luna turned the doorknob, so… I went with the first thing that came to mind, and… That was to put you in your pajamas, attach strings to you, and puppeteer you so Luna wouldn’t notice. Things… didn’t go as I planned.”

“I know Discord. I was awake.”

Discord’s stressed expression suddenly turned to one of pure… blankness. Almost like one of those emoticon things Luna had discovered and shown to Celestia with a bit too much enthusiasm. Discord’s face looked like two periods on either side of an underscore.

“What.”

“I can honestly say that if these are how all our mornings are going to be, then I will never be bored again.” Celestia began to giggle as the scrunched up look on her face just exploded.

As if reading Celestia’s thoughts, Discord’s face literally turned into just two periods on either side of an underscore.

“Oh Discord. You’re not the only one who likes to have fun.” Celestia gave him a wink that made him feel flushed, like the beginning of their relationship all over again. So basically yesterday. The fact he had gotten so flustered over this made him feel embarrassed, a taste of his own medicine, and he knew it quite well. But the fact that she pulled one over on him seemed to only enhance the love he had felt the night prior.

Blinking, Discord began to chuckle. His chuckle turned into laugh, and his laugh turned into a full on roar of uncontrollable cackling.

“R- Really Celestia! Y- You are t- too much!” He managed to say between laughs. “Y- You’re even more diabolical than me!”

Celestia still had that big smile on her face the entire time. Discord found that things had moved around again, now half his body under the blankets as she continued to dab the sweat from his forehead.

As his laughter subsided, Discord managed to speak up. “Huh… I don’t remember being going under the blanket again…”

“Oh, that was me.” She laughed gently before sliding next to him beneath the blankets.

“Oh? That should’ve been more noticeable. You moving me under the sheets.” Discord put a finger to his chin, trying to remember when Celestia had moved him. The sound of humming was heard, snapping him from his thoughts. His focus became almost non-existent as he realized he was no longer in Celestia’s bed. The two of them were in the same positions, but in Twilight’s bed back in Ponyville.

Discord lay in a stunned silence for a long moment. “How in the name of pop rocks lightning did you do that?”

“Do what?” She inquired in a more nonchalant tone.

“How did you instantly teleport us to your student’s bed? Without a bright flash?” Discord inquired. “Even I take a split second to teleport from one place to another, no matter the distance.”

“Oh, well I’ve always been able to.”

“You’ve… always been able to?” Discord paused in thought. “Just… how powerful are you, Celestia?”

“Hmhm… You know that little potion Twilight used awhile back that let her see into the past?”

Discord dumbly nodded, eager to hear her explanation. Celestia gave a low chuckle before continuing. “Well, I guess you could say it works both ways. It’s a tad more difficult, but it’s possible to glimpse the future. Except, well, I don’t require a potion to do so.”

“You… can see the future. Where’s the crystal ball? Even Pinkie needs a crystal ball to see into the future.” Discord chuckled.

Celestia just smiled a little more and continued. “I saw what was going to be. And I knew what needed to happen.” She said with something in her tone that Discord could barely hear, yet it was there. He recognized it as exhaustion, and not just from a busy day, but a busy life.

“Self fulfilling prophesy? Have you ever tried to stop such events?” Discord asked.

“Like?”

“Well, if you… ‘foresaw’ yourself having coffee tomorrow morning, why not have tea?” Discord ponders.

“What I choose to do the next morning is something I don’t pay much attention. Unless of course someone poisoned my drink.” She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re missing the point.”

“I apologize, but I am quite unsure as to what this point is.” Discord sighed.

“I had planned on stopping you, but then I saw something.” She began.

“What did you see?” Discord asked, his voice genuinely curious.

Celestia just stared at him, her grin bordering on face breakingly wide.

“Nooooo. You didn’t.” Discord said. “No waaaaay.”

She simply raised an eyebrow and waited for his next statement.

“You saw because of me, they made ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter!’” Discord gasped. Celestia just began laughing, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Well, I didn’t see that coming.” She giggled absurdly. This was probably the most he had heard Celestia laugh at any of his jokes.

“You have selective future vision! You need glasses!” Discord stated loudly, summoning a pair of rectangular glasses and putting them on Celestia’s face without giving her a second to react.

“... Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to see you in cute glasses.” Discord chuckled.

“Oh, goodness.” Celestia, beginning to recover from that ordeal, straightened the glasses and crossed one leg over the other. “If you wanted to see me dressed up, all you had to do was ask.”

“It is more fun to just surprise you and hope you don’t react fast enough to stop me!” Discord laughed.

“Mm, you know I’d let you do whatever you want to me.” She said in a calmer, alluring tone.

“Then I shall parade you around Canterlot dressed as a banana!” Discord stated boldly.

“If that is what you wish.” She said. Discord just stared at her with his usual smile, which slowly faded as he saw genuinity in her eyes.

“S- Seriously? You’d go around Canterlot dressed as in a banana costume? Just because I want you to?”

Celestia nodded without so much as a moment's hesitation.

“You… really mean it?” Discord asked, his voice lowering. Celestia took the glasses off and gave that warm smile that he couldn’t seem to get enough of. The removal of the glasses seemed to reveal wrinkles just under the sun princess’ eyes that were practically the only blemish on her body. But even then, they seemed to only enhance her beauty to the ancient chaos master. She scooted closer to him on the bed and took his hand in hers.

“I mean it.” She said. The three simple words seemed almost anti-climactic to him, yet that was all that he could think for her to say next. He was at a blank.

After a long, silent moment, Discord chuckled. “And now, for some reason, I don’t want to make you do that… Instead I just, want to hold hands, and hug in public. Maybe even kiss. But for some reason I feel much less eager to make you do something humiliating.”

“Now hold on, that’s just crazy.” Celestia teased, giving his hand another squeeze.

“Look at us, a couple of lunatics, sitting in bed, talking about banana suits and holding hands in public.” Discord sighed, before shouting “And there’s nowhere I’d rather be!”

“I couldn’t have put it better myself.” She sighed, gently pulling Discord into a full body cuddle.

“You’re so soft and… oh, what was that word again? I heard Pinkie say it once… I think it was sexaaaaayyyyyyyyy?”

“Ohh definitely. Sexaaaaaay.” Celestia’s smile twisted into a failing attempt to hold in her laughter. For some reason she just couldn’t keep her normal demeanor around him anymore. “Exactly what I was going to say about you.”

Discord chuckled, before pausing in thought. “Celestia? What did you really see that made you… decide not to stop me?”

A squeeze of his hand brought Discord’s eyes down to her palm, seeing the hand was slipping from his grasp. He watched it move up to point, and when he saw what she was pointing at he was more disoriented at the fact that the scenery had changed again. He had absolutely no idea where he was this time. It was like they were in… space? It looked like the entire area they were in was wrapped and coated in auroras and brilliant stars that seemed so close he could touch one just by reaching for it.

“Where are we?” Discord asked, looking around rapidly at everything that was happening around them. Celestia was standing, walking down the aisle of stars, and Discord was floating along with her almost unwillingly.

“Somewhere only two other ponies have been.”

“Okay. So this isn’t space. There have been a few dozen ponies in space…” Discord reasoned. Celestia showed the ever slightest of a grin, and he saw the corner of her mouth raise at his words.

“Which means we’re either in a different dimension… Or a different plain of reality.” He concluded.

Celestia ignored his train of thought. Discord caught pictures seeming to materializing around him. The pictures were moving, and it looked like he was gazing through windows. In each window he saw different scenes, some familiar, some strange, and some outright boring or plain.

“Why are there… Thingies? Why is one showing Luna reading a comic book? That… hardly seems important enough for this weird sparkly dimension.”

“They may seem unimportant, but there is one similarity that they all share.”

“I… have yet to see the similarity… I mean, Luna reading a comic book, Twilight eating cereal, Twilight playing with Spike, Twilight… playing air hockey with Rainbow Dash, Twilight… Hang on.” Discord turned to look back at the one with Luna reading a comic book, only to see Twilight giving Luna a large box filled with more books of all kind, not just comics.

“They… All seem to have Twilight Sparkle in them.” Discord concluded.

“Brilliant deduction.” She chortled playfully, giving him a pat on the head.

“But still, what does this have to do with why you chose not to stop me?”

“You don’t pay attention very often, do you?”

At that, Discord gave an indignant pout. “I do pay attention. I just don’t understand pony logic very well, being the god of chaos and all.”

“Who was the one that brought the elements together when there was no hope left, the first time you were freed from stone?” Celestia started, glancing toward a window that almost mimicked her speech.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Discord sighed, gazing at the window with deep shame and regret, looking back at what he did to those he now called his friends.

“And as I’m sure you heard, we were invaded by changelings awhile ago. It was Cadence and Shining that finally recovered enough of their magic to send Chrysalis packing. But do you know who saved Cadence in the first place? The ONLY one who doubted the fake Cadence’s identity and saw through the illusion.”

“I’m just going to go out on a limb here and guess Twilight again.” Discord mumbled.

“Then of course it was Spike that saved the Crystal Empire from Sombra.” Celestia said, the statement seeming to end when Discord clearly assumed she would go on about Twilight somehow doing something.

“Celestia, I hate to be rude, but what exactly is the point to showing me all this?”

“Well, I can’t give her all the credit. She learned a valuable lesson, though.” Celestia smiled. An unfamiliar scene played beside Discord which drew his attention. He saw Twilight trapped in a prison of black crystals, with Spike waiting just outside it.

“You have to be the one that bring her the Crystal Heart. If you don’t, you’ll fail Celestia’s test!” Spike shouted.

Discord could see the panic on Twilight’s face as she tried teleporting, but was shot back inside by a wave of black magic. He stared wide eyed at the scene, and how hard she was trying to escape, when Spike was already out and could have easily gotten the heart to Cadence. This wasn’t like the Twilight Discord knew.

“The Crystal Empire incident, I assume…?” Discord asked, “Something seems off about it though, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Oh?” She mused, staring at the window and waiting for his mind to catch up.

“Something seems very odd about how Twilight is acting. Almost as if she’s determined that only she can be the hero. Just tell Spike to go already, jeez.” Discord huffed.

“She wasn’t always the selfless princess you know now. There was a time where she genuinely considered everything as a test, or something she’d be graded on.”

“Heh, she still does that sometimes. Usually when it comes to anything involving her books.” Discord chuckled. “Let me give you some advice Celestia, never, ever, EVER bring sticky foods into her library. There will be a high risk of bodily harm.”

“And you learned this from experience I assume?” She teased, flicking his ear and making it twitch.

“By experience, and by watching other ponies get chased from the Castle by a very angry Princess. Though, if you were to spill something in the book, you’d get off easier, as she just fainted at the sight of her book covered in caramel. I was worried she was having a seizure!” Discord bellowed with laughter.

Celestia and Discord began moving again down the tunnel of memories and events. He looked at the many windows, seeing things he’d seen, things he’d only heard of, and things he never even knew Twilight went through. There were some moments that made him cringe, a feeling he wasn’t used to. There was one in particular that Discord had to look away from completely. From the quick glance he had, he could see Twilight standing over Celestia’s battered body as Nightmare Moon flew towards them.

“W- When did that happen?” Discord asked, pointing in the general direction of the image he refused to look at again.

“That was when Twilight drank that potion a little after she received her ‘princess’ status.” Celestia stared at the screen with a look that seemed to match the more sad tone that passed between her lips.

“Oh good. So it was just a vision… o- of the past.” Discord’s voice cracked. “That’s… what really happened, huh?”

Celestia didn’t utter a word in response and watched the scene unfold.

“We should move on.” Discord sighed, “No sense dwelling on the worst of things.”

“It lead up to this, and I’d say the ends justify the means.” She sighed quietly. A thought occurred to Discord. How much of the future did she see? And when did she start looking?

“How far have you gotten? How much have you seen, Celestia?” Discord asked. Celestia’s mouth opened to speak but didn’t say a word. “How much have you just… let happen? Knowing the future is a dangerous game, Celestia.”

“Yes, it is. I merely did it at first because I could. But the more I saw, the more I wanted to look away.” Celestia began, placing her hands in her lap as the princess started to levitate, her posture looking as if she was sitting in a chair that wasn’t there, something that Discord may have done. “I tried to stop you. I tried to stop my sister, Chrysalis, Sombra…”

“Tell me Celestia. Do you think that what you have seen must happen? That what you have seen will happen, no matter what?”

“You don’t understand. I saw the outcomes to all the changes. I watched, planning on doing things differently. But when I did, the futures I saw weren’t the same. They always ended… worse. There was one thing that only one reality had, and it was that one thing that had to remain.” She tried to speak more but just waited for his response at what she had already said.

“Ah, but Celestia, I think you fail to realize that even in your infinite wisdom, there will always be somepony who knows more about something than you.” Discord’s voice had changed to something almost… smug, but not quite. “I see that you know that the future does not exist until it becomes the present. Infinite possibilities, and yet you can only see the set course if you change nothing.”

Celestia just gazed at him, her expression only changing slightly as a smile barely made it’s way onto her face. “A lovely sentiment. And perhaps you’re right.”

“And you saw the outcome changing for the worse every time you tried to prevent it. Tell me Celestia, what do you think went wrong on those occasions?” Discord asked, reminding Celestia of her earlier lessons when Twilight was still extremely young.

“Because every future I made… was missing her.” Celestia pointed to one of the many windows. This one was of Twilight laughing at a party that was obviously hosted by a certain pink pony.

“I am… not quite sure I understand.” Discord said slowly.

“I’m not sure either.” Celestia started to laugh. “I couldn’t make much sense of it… But everything I tried to do, all the ponies I tried to save didn’t matter. Because for some reason she just… wasn’t there. I don’t understand it anymore than you. At least, I didn’t used to.”

“Hm… I’ll have to ask an expert, next time I see him.” Discord muttered to himself.

“There are many alternate realities all around us. Some ponies think that every choice you make creates some alternate universe, and that there are billions, limitless futures with many, many choices that were made. But the thing is, they’re already there. We don’t ‘make’ them, they just exist. And when I made a change, it merely took me to a universe where what I changed happen. But that’s where the strange part comes into play…”

“Wowee Princess! That’s really confusing!” Came a familiar voice, once again. Discord and Celestia slowly turn to face the window of Twilight’s party. There sat Pinkie Pie, with her face pressed against the ‘glass’ of the window, her muzzle scrunched because of this.

“Uh… Princess? Shall we move on?” Discord suggested.

Celestia grinned, rolling her eyes at the scene before the two of them started moving forward. “Heeeeey! Where ya going!”

“So, do you understand how it works?” Celestia shook her head and glanced over at her discombobulated friend.

“Yes. I… Sorry, still sort of… She scares me sometimes.” Discord shivered, glancing back at the window Pinkie was staring out of.

“Discord.” Celestia’s voice was a tad more forceful to gain his attention.

“I mean, I’m the god of chaos, for crying out loud!” Discord huffed, “Why does she feel the need to try and upstage me?”

“Discord…” Celestia tried again in the same tone.

“It weirds me out! She’s just an earth pony! Did she steal some of my magic when I wasn’t looking? Or-”

“DISCORD!” Celestia’s voice boomed almost glass shatteringly loud. All the seemingly endless windows flickered and distorted momentarily. The aurora around them seemed to shift to darker colors at the same time.

“Y- Yes Celestia…” Discord whispered meekly. Her appearance seemed to have changed only slightly. The wavy hair she usually had was no longer flowing and was just as limp as a normal pony’s hair. All he could focus on however was the stern look she was giving him, one that would even outmatch Fluttershy… and hers didn’t even work on Discord.

“I need you to focus, do you understand? I have never been more serious in my entire life.” Celestia stated each word clearly without much pause.

“Yes Celestia.” He repeated.

There was a momentary distortion in his vision and her hair was once again flowing. She turned away from him and the two began moving down the lane once more.

“Look, while this is all very, very interesting, I need to know where you’re going with all this.”

“I thought that would be obvious by now. I have told you in a couple ways, but you don’t seem to hear me.” Celestia seemed slightly annoyed at his words but didn’t fail to keep her demeanor calm.

“We started out with why you didn’t stop me. We’ve gone over that it would mean that Twilight would not have… been there, if that happened. But it seems that you’re trying to explain even further beyond that.”

“Because I saw what she becomes, how she changes Equestria, how she already HAS changed it. And a world without her is… one that I wouldn’t find worth living in.” She continued, her tone returning to the saddened octave she was using earlier.

“Your… fascination with Twilight seems almost unhealthy, Celestia. Yes, she is indeed a very delightfully dorky mare, but… I’m sure most others, if not all others would have chosen to avert the disasters.” Discord muttered. “What is it about her that… drives you to such thoughts?”

“Because each future I viewed ended the same. Sure, there are some that are a tad happier. Some with less villains and disasters, but they all end the same way.”

“By your tone, it sounds very… not good.”

“Eventually, they all go dark.” She finished, growing almost deathly silent.

Discord blinked, before chuckling nervously. “G- Goes dark? You don’t mean that literally, do you?”

Celestia was no longer even attempting to look in his direction, yet Discord could see the despair radiating from her self.

“No. No.” Discord shook his head. “You don’t mean that… everything went dark because you and the sun die… do you?” His tone was pleading with Celestia, begging for her to just start laughing as if this was all a joke. Her lack of response only made him choke silently on the rising dread in his stomach. He felt sick…

“Please… Celestia… Tell me you’re making this up. Just, tell me this isn’t real. Tell me I’m still asleep. L- Luna? I’d like it if you could stop this! I don’t like this nightmare!” Discord shouted.

“Do you know how it feels to know that should anything happen to me, I would take everypony else with me? That is the burden I have lived with.” Celestia continued almost as if Discord wasn’t there.

“No. This is just some horrible nightmare.” Discord muttered. “I’ll wake up in bed with you, and then I’ll pretend that none of this ever happened. Because it didn’t.”

“All the futures went dark, save for this one.” Celestia uttered like a beacon of light in a dark room.

“You mean that… This is the best possible future?” Discord asked in a more hopeful manner after a long silence.

Celestia smiled and turned to him, gently taking both his hands and caressing them with that warm touch he had nearly forgotten about since this trip started. “Discord, you will live to see beautiful things. Amazing things… You and the ponies of Equestria will not go gently into the dark, cold night. Although, you will see it many many times before your time. I wouldn’t want to leave Luna without a job.” She laughed gently.

“Hm? You think I’ll see something more beautiful that the pony that’s right in front of me?” Discord asked cheekily.

“If you could only see what I am seeing right now.” Celestia’s happy tone returned as their eyes made contact. The first true contact since the bedroom.

“Yourself, in the reflection of my eyes.” Discord chuckled. Celestia’s smile grew and twisted slightly before she finally lost her demeanor with a bout of laughter, something he had mastered doing to her.

“Well, that’s the only thing I could think of possibly matching your beauty! Your reflection!” Discord teased. That lovely feeling of her embrace returned as she wrapped herself around his body. He’d thought she was trying not to break him by the gentleness of her hold, but he knew that wasn’t it.

“Celestia…? Is there something wrong?”

“No, not at all.”

“That’s good. I don’t like it when you’re upset anymore.” Discord hummed, wrapping his arms around the Sun Goddess and gently squeezing her. “But… You said that I will see beautiful things. Didn’t you mean ‘we’? Cuz we’re together now, right?”

Discord could feel her warmth fade momentarily, not receiving a response to his question. There was definitely something she didn’t want to talk about.

“Uh, Celestia? Why didn’t you say ‘we’?” Discord asked, a slight bit of urgency in his voice.

“There’s a reason Twilight is so important.” She answered almost as if he asked the wrong question.

“C- Celestia, why didn’t you say we?!” He asked again, his eyes watering slightly. The windows shifted slightly, and the one that caught Discord’s eye was one of Celestia in much the same place the two were right now. Except in the scene, she looked much, much younger. Still a full grown mare, but Discord could tell. He saw her curled up, levitating in the star filled void. She looked sadder than any other pony he’d ever seen.

“Celestia…? There’s one without Twilight in it…” Discord whispered.

Without any replies, he was forced to watch the window. Her younger self was crying, and that seemed like all she could do in this frame. “W-why… why does it happen… it’s always d-dark…” The younger one sobbed. The sight hurt Discord to see, but he knew that he wasn’t going to get out without watching it through. He saw the same frames he had been looking into, except they were all black, as if someone had painted over them. “I don’t know what to do...”

“I… I don’t want to watch this.” Discord said. “I don’t need to watch it. Let’s go. P- Please.”

“I need you to understand.” Celestia begged in a gentle, caring tone. She tilted his head back to the frame as it continued to play.

The Celestia of the past continued to cry. But something happened almost in the blink of an eye. The frames disappeared. This obviously wasn’t her intention, as the sobbing mare went silent. Her head slowly rose up and looked around, unknowing of what had occurred. She stood up, walking almost aimlessly through the path trying to find something. It was a solid minute of walking, looking almost as if she was going to give up and began sobbing again. Celestia leapt back as the windows reappeared again, but with a white painted look instead of black. She just stared at them, never having experienced this by the way she was reacting. One of the screens changed, showing an unfamiliar purple unicorn reading a book. She approached the window and gazed into the scene playing before her, perplexed and intrigued at the same time. “Who are you?” Celestia mumbled aloud, her voice becoming lost to the void around her.

Her hand raised up to the screen, slowly approaching it as if a child seeing the stars for the first time. The moment her hand made contact, another of the white screens flickered to yet another scene with the purple unicorn. Celestia’s mouth was parted and she probably didn’t even know it. The princess slowly approached the window, seeing her and five other mares gathered around her sister Luna. The armor caused Celestia’s heart to sink, knowing it was a nightmare that she had seen, possibly many dozens of times in her future gazing. But as she grew closer, she saw that there wasn’t the armor of Nightmare Moon clasped on her body, but was instead… crying? Perhaps she was just seeing things, but this is one future she had never witnessed before. As she touched this one, another screen lit up. And another, and another, and yet another… All with scenes and pictures that were new to her. She traveled down the line, further and further, witnessing the many acts of this purple mare.

But she suddenly reached one that threw her off completely. These events were all chronological, and they continued on for miles. Yet, one frame was distorted, blurred, coated in a layer of static. She couldn’t see what it was an image of, or what the scene was supposed to be. But she could see what everything after it was. But what was IT? What had to happen to ensure this future. One she continued to watch. One she continued to observe. The more she went along, the happier she got, seeing a future she had yet to see. And this was one she never wanted to let go. Celestia kept coming back to that blurred frame, staring at it. What happened? She was scared at the same time. This was the brightest, no the only future that was possible. This was the only future that didn’t end, and she didn’t know what to do to make it happen. She was afraid for certain, but now she had something that she had lost awhile ago. She had hope…

Discord sat in silence for a long while, mulling over what he just witnessed. Occasionally opening his mouth to speak, before closing it again. There had been times in the past where he hadn’t known what to say, but for the first time in his life, Discord did not know what to think. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he turned to her and asked, “What changed? Did you do something to… change it to the visions of Twilight?”

“No. I don’t know what happened, it certainly wasn’t me. But I wasn’t really thinking about it at the time. I just saw hope, and it was what I clung to.” She answered with a soft sigh.

Discord sighed along with her, “What about the… blurry window. What about that one?”

Celestia started to smile again, glancing toward the many windows that were still around them. “These are the same windows as in the scene. Do you see any blurry windows here?” She inquired in a more snarky manner.

Discord quickly glanced at the surrounding glimpses into Twilight’s life. “No. There isn’t.”

“Well, you remember where it was, and it’s all chronological. So you tell me which one it is.”

Discord slowly walked through the tunnel of Twilight, glancing upon many familiar and unfamiliar scenes before coming to one that seemed to make his heart skip a beat. He recognised it as the missing window, but also knew the scene all too well. It was Twilight’s fight with Tirek. “Th- this… is the blurred timeline?”

“Yes. It was the one thing I couldn’t see. And that was the worst thing too. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but in the end… it worked out.” Celestia laughed again, obviously reminiscing to that day that was definitely dark, especially for Discord. Yet, she was acting as though it was the happiest day of her life.

Discord frowned, remembering how horrible he felt that day. The unrelenting shame that he felt the weeks following. It wasn’t until he heard about the entity Luna had created, the Tantabus, that he even dared show his face in front of another pony aside from Fluttershy.

“I’m sorry Celestia, but despite how things turned out, I don’t remember that day too… fondly. So, why are you laughing?”

“Because up till then I had no idea what would happen. But after Tirek, the picture became clear. I saw why it needed to happen. And regardless of what you did, you did what needed to be done. And neither of us really knew it.” She replied with a bit of glee still in her voice.

Discord’s lips finally cracked into a smile, the giddiness of the Sun Princess becoming contagious and causing his spirits to lift. “This really is something…” He chuckled.

“It also proved something to me. It let me know that it could be done, because It was the one thing I didn’t see coming. I did it first hand.” She continued, growing a little calmer as she stared at the window. “You remember what Luna, Cadence and I did you sway Tirek from gaining our power. Or rather, delay him.”

“You gave Twilight all of your magical energy.” Discord smiled, “Like giving a gallon of coffee to Pinkie Pie. Not even she could handle it.”

“And not only did Twilight contain it, but she walked away like it was nothing.” Celestia continued, glancing toward the window as it shifted to Twilight testing her new abilities (albeit, somewhat messily).

“Like it was nothing? From what I could tell, she could hardly prevent herself from sporadically teleporting all over the place.” Discord stifled a laugh.

“Oh? Perhaps you should watch a little closer.”

Discord’s smile faded only slightly as the portrait shifted back to the fight between the purple princess and Tirek. Discord was not around for the battle, he was rather trapped without any freedom at the time. The scene absolutely shifted his demeanor to awe. Twilight was flying better than she had ever, avoiding everything that was thrown at her. The times she did get hit was shrugged off like a strong breeze. Twilight was so calm, using the colorful magic effortlessly and with swift flourishes of her horn. The way she wove the magic was almost beautiful in a way. It was definitely a sight, regardless of the devastation that was following in the uninhabited zone.

“It looks like she’s not even trying, doesn’t it?” Celestia mused.

“When she was struggling to stop herself from casting magic, it was probably much easier just… letting it all out, and channelling everything she had into attacking Tirek.” Discord replied.

“Perhaps you’re right. But I’d say she performed extremely well, considering in every other future where we attempted the magic transfer, every other stallion or mare died.” Celestia lowered her tone back to a more monotone and uncaring one, as if she would rather not be reminded of some things she’d seen.

“Are… are you serious?” Discord asked, his voice full of disbelief.

“And every other time I saw it happen, it was with just one of our energies. But on this day, we had no choice. It was all or nothing. Twilight took three, where as a normal pony wouldn’t even stand one. I saw futures where Cadence attempted it, Luna, and even I. They all ended the same…”

“It’s okay, Celestia. They didn’t happen. Your student took that magic, not you. Not Luna, and not Cadance. Little Miss Twilight Sparkle. Saving the day as usual.” Discord chuckled, attempting to cheer up the ivory mare.

Celestia’s eyes met his for a few moments, returning her smile again. “She does more than that.” She began. The scene with Tirek seemed to pass as the two were brought forward down the line, faster than Discord could process all the passing windows, so he merely waited for them to arrive at whatever scene she wanted him to see. Almost caught off guard at the sudden stop, Discord quickly regained his senses and stared at the window they were now in front. It showed Twilight, and she looked far older than the one he knew. Her hair was flowing much like Celestia and Luna. The shades of purple and pink, the colors her hair normally contained, was now a mere outline of what her hair was now. Within the twin-colored portrait of hair were stars. It looked almost as if staring up at the night sky, each star giving a twinkle every so often. Discord felt himself gazing at them almost as though they were right there in front of him. Finally his gaze was drawn upon her form.

Twilight was much taller, probably at the same height as Celestia was now. Her skin was as smooth as skin could get, and the clothing she wore seemed only slightly elegant. A simple dress that would easily be found in Rarity’s shop. Other than that she wasn’t wearing much that would show her as royalty. He could tell she wore no makeup, no earrings or other accessories, nor any form of highlights to show off her body in any way. It was a humble sight to behold, and one that Discord couldn’t help but compare to his love that stood beside him.

“Wow… Years and years in the future… And she doesn’t change much, does she?” Discord chuckled, pointing to a quill that was tucked behind her ear, a tiny ink stain on her left shoulder beneath the tip of the writing tool. “No matter how much older she gets, I don’t think she’ll ever change.”

Celestia nodded as if to agree, but only half as she spoke the simple words, “You’d be surprised…”

The door to Twilight’s chambers creaked open, and a tall, but all too familiar dragon poked his head in. His head, however, was much higher up than the height assumed. Once Spike stepped in, he seemed to be dressed in a much different uniform than the guards Discord saw around both Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire. They seemed unique, as if Twilight had her own style of armour given to the guards of Ponyville. The metal was less defined and seemed to almost blend into the white leather that twisted and folded around his body. Whatever it was didn’t look all too protective, yet it almost radiated of magic when he stared at it. The dragon that wore it was a good five and a half feet taller than the Spike he knew. There were no weapons on his person, and Discord could figure out why.

“Still gussied up I see?” Twilight spoke as a grin formed on her face. She didn’t even turn from her papers and knew who had entered her room. Spike’s eyes seemed to roll, yet they didn’t move an inch. Discord knew that half-bored look all too well, he practiced it in fact!

“You still get a kick at knowing where all your soldiers are don’t you?” Spike said in a feigned scoff. The white armour slowly changed to a dark shade as the magic in it dissipated. Spike then took the armour off and set it beside her bed. The clothes beneath it were as generic as anypony walking the market.

“Well, the magic doesn’t just let me know who the pony is, or where they are in the castle… It adds protection. And there is no one who opposed to the idea.” Twilight huffed, her grin only fading for a moment before returning in full.

“Oh really? And how often do ‘know who I am’, or see ‘where I am in the castle’. You just can’t get enough of me can you?” Spike stuck his tongue out as he fell back onto the bed, hands behind his head in his usual lazy manner.

“Oh get over yourself.”

Spike smiled a little wider before the two started laughing.

“Hey, Spike? Have you seen my favorite quill?” Twilight asked, looking through her desk drawers.

“You’re usually great at organising things. You’re telling me you already forgot where you put it?” Spike teased and rolled off the bed, walking over toward Twilight’s workplace.

“Well, it isn’t in any of its usual spots, and I don’t know if I left it in the Throne Room, or the Private Library.” Twilight sighed, lifting up the papers on her desk to see if the quill was underneath them. Spike reached toward her head and plucked the quill from behind her ear. Twilight looked back at him and stared wordlessly at the feather.

“You’re right, it was in the library.” Spike smirked.

By the unamused stare she gave him, Twilight obviously was showing she understood the joke. “Very funny.”

“What? All I’m saying is that you’re smart.” Spike shrugged, handing her the quill. “It’s a compliment!”

“I’m sure that’s what you meant.” Twilight chuckled, taking the feather from his hands and twisting back toward the desk.

“Well alright. You’re not just smart. You’re tall. You look like you haven’t aged a day past twenty.” Spike began, wrapping his arms around the princess from behind her sitting position. Her smile grew and her hands slid up to caress the arms embracing her. “You’re beautiful… and as perfect as the day I laid my eyes on you. And there’s nothing that’ll ever change the way I feel about you.”

Twilight turned in her chair to face him, their eyes seeming to lock together. “Good enough?” He asked.

Twilight placed her hand on his cheek. “Good enough.” She nodded, their faces coming together and allowing their lips to cling to one another almost as fluidly and quick as water, making it seem like this wasn’t the first time.

“Well… That was… Unexpected.” Discord said, still blinking from the startling image of Twilight kissing Spike, “But still, she had the quill behind the ear, so she couldn’t have changed too much.”

“Oh Spike… You naughty, naughty dragon.” Twilight’s voice rang from the scene, making Discord’s face grow a light shade of pink.

“Okay she’s a completely different pony! I get it! I am noping the heck out of here!” Discord shouted, swimming in mid air to try and escape as quickly as possible. Celestia tried to contain her laughter, only stopping when the scene changed once again. This time was of Twilight sitting in a throne. This time in Canterlot. Where there would normally be two thrones, there was one. The crescent moon was in the center of a sun, seeming to be a mix of both thrones in design.

“Oh, come on! She gets two castles?!” Discord huffed, “I can’t even get a house because I ‘decrease neighbouring land value’!”

“That’s because she can handle two castles.” Celestia joked. Discord watched as a guard approached Twilight.

“Princess, you’re needed back in Ponyville.”

Twilight nodded, her horn glowing momentarily. As soon as she was there, the scene changed back to the Ponyville throne room. This throne room still contained the map, and the seven thrones. Spike’s was much larger however. The six other thrones however, were filled with mostly unknown ponies. Only one of the ponies did Discord recognise, and that was Cadence. The mare was as majestic as Twilight, now with flowing hair of her own. It was official, all princesses age in reverse.

“Glad you could join us princess.” A larger pony droned. His outfit was reminiscent of a Saddle Arabian pony.

“Don’t get me started Prince Sally.” Twilight retorted almost nonchalantly.

“Salazar.” The pony snorted.

The thrones no longer bared the cutie marks her friends had, but now had the symbol for six other nations. Discord could guess what each of the ponies represented.

“Celestia… I don’t know how much more I can take.” Discord sighed, “Knowing what’s going to happen… It’s not something I think I particularly… enjoy knowing.”

“And what is about to happen, may I ask?” Celestia cocked her head to look at him.

“I don’t know. I like not knowing.” Discord said evenly.

“You have to know by now why Twilight is important. You do know, right?”

“No. You’re wrong. You didn’t look hard enough.” Discord said, his voice starting to waver.

“I know you may find this hard, Discord…” Celestia tried to speak, but was cut off.

“I won’t let it happen!” Discord shouted, “I’m not gonna let Twlight take the sun and moon! I’m not gonna let you die!”

“Everyone goes eventually. You can’t let that get to you, Discord. I promised you I’d let every moment count, and every moment I’d spend with you…” Celestia comforted the distraught chaos lord that had been in his pony form since this all started. The scenery in the window had once again changed. Twilight was in what looked to be a solitary garden, Canterlot Castle in the distance. She was kneeling in front of a smooth, gray stone.

“I WON’T LET YOU!” Discord cried, covering his ears and shutting his eyes tight.

“You have to look.” Her voice echoed through his head. The images played in his head regardless of him actually looking at the screen. The stones had words on them, but all he could look at was the symbol above the first one. It was a picture of a cloud, with a rainbow colored lightningbolt arcing below it.

“Stop it!” Discord wailed, shaking his head rapidly. Celestia caressed him, holding him tightly as the next image flashed. This stone held the image of apples. The next was of three purple diamonds, then balloons. Discord couldn’t open his eyes, unable to push the images away as he desperately tried to stop the rest from playing. The only thing that escaped his lids were a stream of tears from both eyes. Next, and most painfully, was a picture of a butterfly. All movement and sound stopped from Discord in one solid moment. The scene lingered on this stone, and Discord was forced to stare at the name beneath it.

“F- Fluttershy… No…” Discord sobbed. The tears fell freely as his eyes finally opened, now seeing the same stone he saw, but now with the white princess looking down at him. He could see that her eyes were red, and she looked like she had been crying too.

“The one thing that is certain, is something that is both beautiful and tragic. And that thing is that life always ends. But that’s not a bad thing.” Celestia wiped his cheeks and eyes of the sadness that coated it.

Discord’s ears twitched as Celestia next spoke, hearing another voice layered atop it. “There is a sunset and sunrise to every day...”

Discord turned to the window and saw that Twilight was that other voice. He now saw the grave she was kneeling in front of. The two princesses continued their statement. “They’re both free, as no amount of bits could buy their majesty. All ponies rich and poor, young and old, short or tall, can afford to see them. So while you can, take it all in, before your own sunset comes around.”

The two stopped, Discord now seeing that those words were etched just below the symbols of a sun and moon. Twilight’s eyes were clear now, and he could tell she was crying alongside the both of them.

“The sunrise has never been the same…” Twilight’s voice uttered in a shaky, almost broken tone.

“And they never will again.” Both Twilight and Discord spoke, their sorrow unmatched, yet alike in endless ways. He looked up at the sun, never wanting to look away, and praying he never goes blind. He finally understood. Discord had been reckless, and childish his entire life. He never took anything seriously. But now he was sure… he’s not going to miss anymore.

“I’m so sorry…” Discord whimpered, his whole body quivering in her arms.

“Discord…” Celestia placed her hand on his cheek, her gaze never leaving his. “I have thought about the future for long enough. From now on, now is all that matters.”

With a long overdue kiss, the two felt their emotions bursting free from their eyes. Their tears were of sadness, joy, dread, longing… and union. A union with walls so high that not even the strongest griffon could peek over. And these walls would never wear nor tear. The first parting of their lips was only met with a few words from the sobbing draconequus, “If only there was more time…”

Without finishing, he was silenced by her lips. Their arms embraced one another in the most desperate struggle to hold on. They were afraid that every time they let go, it would be the last. And the two would certainly treat every moment as such. Celestia found herself falling as Discord placed her onto the invisible walkway among the starry void they were in. With every passing moment the two were filled with less emotions. All the bad just melted away. All the guilt, the pain, the sorrow. The only things that existed at that moment were the two of them, right there, right now. Celestia’s head fell back as something that was long awaited by the both of them happened. She felt him, more of him than she had ever felt before. The lovers, in one solitary moment of time, became one. Their tears became sweat, their love turned to adrenalin, and their bodies joined.

No words were expressed at this time. Their only language was each other, speaking through touch alone. At that moment they knew everything about one another. Every sensitive spot, every point of pleasure. The two found harmony that no amount of friendship could show. Bliss was all that mattered, and they both felt the time pass as quickly as sand through your fingers. Many years of patience, mixing with the countless generations of loneliness, were shattered like like a mirror. Each broken piece reflected something about the other, and both Discord and Celestia could see each other. Truly see each other. And those broken shards were the most beautiful objects the two have, and will ever see. As soon as it started, their minds were colorless, blank canvases as endless colors and shades flooded onto it. No art compared to the masterpiece being painted at that moment. The passion they would never forget exploding higher than any mountain and lighting the skies like the most brilliant fireworks.

When the two regained their senses, Discord realized he was on his back, and Celestia had her face buried in his chest. The two glanced at each other as their smiles returned. Their laughter echoed through the endless sea of aurora. They were together, and nothing else mattered.

“You know… I was comprised of many different limbs, from many different creatures. You know why?” Discord broke the wordless silence.

“Why is that?”

“Because I couldn’t decide.” He said, glancing outward to the beauty that surrounded them. Discord felt his smile growing whether he wanted it to or not. “But I think I finally made my choice.”

Celestia was beaming, her arms sliding beneath him and pulling herself tighter against the pony. And yes, pony. Discord only had one form now, and it would never change again. A bundle of glee began forming in his body as she felt her warm lips making their mark as she traveled up his body. Once they reached his neck, they stayed, tenderly massaging his new body with the utmost care.

Discord’s eyes had wandered only for a moment, but something caught his eye. Although he was being attended to by the goddess of his dreams, he couldn’t help but look at the window again. They hadn’t moved at all, and this time Twilight was gone, perhaps moved on. Yet, there was one aspect of the grave that he had missed. The date… It was blurred, as if tampered by someone. The numbers themselves weren’t altered, but there seemed to be a distortion, much the same as the one that the younger Celestia had discovered. Except this looked different, like she was the one to blurred it. His demeanor remained, but that dread he had felt earlier began to knot in his stomach again.

“Celestia… what is that?” He pointed to the grave. Celestia’s head turned only enough so that her eyes could look upon what he had selected. In that moment, all the color in her body drained.

“Nothing. It’s nothing…” Celestia quickly tried to turn his attention away. But he wasn’t having it. In a white flash, he was on his feet, staring at the screen. With each passing moment, the date became less distorted. Startling the pony, the screen disappeared entirely. His eyes snapped to Celestia, seeing she was standing as well. The only word he could use to describe her expression was fear. Discord closed his eyes, seeming to focus intently as one thought filled his mind. The grave, the image of his curiosity. He heard a gasp from Celestia, opening his eyes to see the tombstone was now on all the screens. Quickly, he flashed to one of the screens. He gazed upon the blurred image, now a little clearer. Only partially did he read the birth date before it flicked off again. “Discord please!” She begged, the sense of panic clear in her voice.

Again, he reappeared next to another. Then another, then another. He was moving faster than she could close them. Moving faster, and faster… The screens passed by like a flip book, each getting clearer and clearer as the stars whizzed past him. Faster, and faster, until he was no longer seeing graves. Freezing at a screen that showed Cadence, Shining Armor, and Chrysalis. He was looking at the Canterlot wedding. He was confused, why were these different?

The pieces of a puzzle he didn’t want to solve slowly became clear as each piece fell into place. He slowly made his way back up the timeline, seeing he was back in the present he knew and loved. But each time he moved up a panel, a gut wrenching feeling gripped his entire being. After Tirek, there was nothing. Every window beyond that bad been closed. Celestia was standing beyond it, her hands so tightly bundled together that Discord thought they may bleed.

“Why are you… hiding these scenes?” He asked, Discord’s breathing growing heavier.

“Let’s just go home, okay? You said you wanted to wake up, so just take my hand.” Celestia’s voice was a stammer, her hand extended. She was desperate for him to come with her.

“I… I need to know.” Discord uttered. He had gone through this whole experiencing wanting to close his eyes, to turn away and never look back. But this was eating at him, and the emotions clouded anything before this moment. Discord approached where the window used to be, and Celestia shouted,

“Discord!” The distress and sadness clear in her voice. As if just background noise, he reached his hand forward in ignorance of her presence. The moment his hand hit where it was, the screen reappeared. His eyes widened, all thoughts going black as he stared at the picture. The grave was there, but there was nothing written on it. Slowly a smile crept onto his face and a bout of laughter started to spout from his mouth.

“Oh Celestia, you are cruel. Playing such a joke on me.” He quipped, the happiness still in his voice. But when he looked at her, she was still sad. Her eyes were sunken and the features pale. Discord’s expression fell almost painfully slow into a mix of worry and uncertainty. A gentle violet glow snapped his eyes back to the screen. He saw that he aura began to carve something into the stone. Discord couldn’t look away. His jaw was beginning to shake as the shape of whatever was being drawn became clearer and clearer. As the purple light died down, he saw his biggest fear confirmed. There was a sun etched into the stone, freshly engraved. He could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes once his gaze shifted back to Celestia. She had the same desolate expression.

“I’m so sorry…” Celestia whispered in a tone so quiet that even she could barely hear.

“You… said the windows were in chronological order. And this one is right after Tirek.” Discord stuttered through his sorrowful voice. “How long after?”

“I didn’t want you to find out like this…” She mumbled.

“How long!” Discord screamed, the windows flickering to static before disappearing. Celestia was startled, tears streaming down her face as she continued to stare at him with a mix of sadness and fear.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“You don’t get to be sorry! I deserved to know!” Discord’s sputtered. His voice was filled with anger, rage, sadness, remorse… “If I had known… I would have been better. I would have been kind, a better… a better pony.”

Discord had never looked more of a mess. His eyes were tearful and pouring more down his body, and his nose was running. Celestia hated looking at those emotions, but never took her eyes off him.

“You put up with me… with all of this for thousands of years. The weight of the world on you and all you could do was watch. You deserve more… You, y-you… You deserve… so much… m-m…” Discord trailed off into a shaking babbling mess, unable to form any more words.

Celestia regained his focus merely by grabbing his head with her gentle grip. He felt both her warm palms stroke his cheeks. “You, are everything I deserve and more.”

With one more kiss, his mind blanked. The stars began to disappear, and the aurora filled space they were in melted to black. There was a moment of the cold loneliness before he pleaded one small phrase. “I don’t want to wake up…”

Discord’s eyes snapped open. He was in her bed again, Celestia’s body still wrapped around him. He brought a hand to his face, seeing it and the pillows behind him were soaked with his tears. His eyes burned painfully, but it didn’t matter. When he gazed down at the sleeping beauty in his arms, he saw the same tears on her own face. His heart wretched and quaked painfully in his chest. Discord didn’t know which emotion was which anymore. He found himself buried in her hair, inhaling her lovely scent. He didn’t even know if it was perfume, or just her natural musk. There was nothing he wanted to know more.

With every muscle of his body relaxing, he gave up. He knew what was going to happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“I suppose it’s my fault, really…” He said aloud, staring up at the ceiling after his head fell back onto the wet pillow. “So much time wasted. So many years… And what? Torture, cruel acts. That’s what I did. It took so much of my time, and yours. I was naive, and young. But…” He paused, his hands gripping her body tighter. “It’s time I grew up.”

After what I saw, I had no idea what to do. There was no hope, yet this world that wouldn’t be possible without her. No amount of apologies could wipe away my crimes. I’m done with my old life, I’m done with being Discord, and I’m done with the self pity. I will not let another day pass by unabated I will do right by others, and live in the name of those who could not. Those whose lives were sacrificed to get us here will not be forgotten. I will always love you, my sweet sun. You will always rise in this heart, never to set again. I will never forget you.

Discord felt the tear run down his cheek as he wrote the last words, a smile slowly forming as his lips curled up. There were no amount of words that could describe his love for Celestia, but this was the best he could do. He set the pen down and lifted the paper, re-reading it silently to himself. His entire body tensed up as the door to the room opened. He slammed the paper to his chest and stared straight ahead, his eyes wide.

“Discord? Why are you still here, I thought you wanted to visit Twilight.” Celestia’s voice rang through the room. He smiled and glanced back at her royal form peeking through the door.

“I do. I’ll be there in a moment. And it’s Accord now.” Discord corrected. Celestia’s eyebrow raised at his words.

“I doubt that will catch on.” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Oh poo on you. Now shoo, I’ll be along shortly.” Discord sighed. Celestia giggled quietly and closed the door, leaving him alone. Discord was smiling undoubtedly, and his eyes rested back on the paper he wrote. He glanced to the photo on the desk he was sitting at. It was of him, Celestia, and their seven friends in Twilight’s castle. He just stared at the photo, his eyes heavy as he looked at the memory. Discord took the frame and pulled it open, sliding the message he wrote behind the picture before shutting it again. He set the frame back down, looking down at the image. That picture now meant more than any memory he had in his mind. And he would never be able to forget it. All the pain that he had gone through, all that he had learned, he knew things wouldn’t be the same. But that’s not a bad thing. Ponies change, and so must he. He is a pony now after all! But the lesson he got from all this, the lesson he will never take for granted… No one lives forever. And there won’t be a single moment where he looks away from the sun again. Because the sun isn’t setting… it’s only just arisen.