“Ah, it's a shame, really,” Discord muttered, swishing his tail back in forth, his ears pressed back against his head. Twilight Sparkle sat just a few inches away from him, resting her hooves on the balcony railing. The two were alone on her castle’s balcony, watching the sun takes its final dip under the horizon.
It was hard for Twilight to turn to him, her eyes caught in the swirling silver sea of stars spilled across the nighttime sky, glittering moon reflecting in her eyes. Still, she craned her head to him, cocking an eyebrow with a slight frown.
“The party's long been over, and I'd appreciate you not teleporting suddenly into my castle,” she remarked, stifling a yawn with a hoof.
“Oh, but aren't we outside?” Discord clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, angling his eyes up to the sky. His thoughts were mixed. Luna had surely outdone herself, swirling swaths of purple and blue blanketing most of his eye's view, spotted with black patches covered in white, sparkling dots. She had done too much. It stung a little.
Twilight wiped her puffy eyes. “Well, what is it? Did you forget something here? You don’t need to come here to get it”, she said, shifting her gaze back to the sleepy town of Ponyville. All the lights were off, leaving the moonlight to illuminate the houses and building. The town shimmered in the silver rays. “Everyone else is asleep, Discord, and you should be too. I'm only up to take a break from cleaning up the mess you guys left in your drunken madness.”
"Ah, I wasn't drunk, I was just stupid. It's not often I get to celebrate my birthday," Discord mumbled, folding his mismatched limbs with his lips puckered. “Either way, I’m pretty sure I remember fixing everything. You know, chaos magic." He raised his lion paw, fingers pushed together and ready to cast a spell. Twilight ruffled her wings, hints of moonlight lighting up the tips of her feathers. Her mane flowed behind her in the midnight breeze.
“Discord, please. Go have fun with Flutt.. Trixie or someone you'd like to be with," Twilight said, rubbing her eye with a hoof as another yawn escaped her lips. “Surely I'm not your number one pony to be with?”
Discord waved his paw. “Sure, I could be with Trixie, or someone I'd like to be with, but…” Discord looked outward, tracing the silver light of the sky with his eyes. “But who else would appreciate such a lovely night?” His wispy beard drifted toward his neck, wrapped up in the gentle wind pushing it back. A small grin spread across his muzzle. Twilight kept looking forward.
“Fluttershy loves the night," she whispered, drawing her hooves down to her side. “You're wasting a lovely night with me.”
Discord flinched. “You know, I can tell when somepony's in a bad mood. I'm not stupid, Ms. Sparkle, even if I act stupid,” he commented, pulling on his beard with a chuckle. “Tell me, was my Pumpkin Flannel cake flavor too much? Or was it the sour fruit candy coming to life that put you in this mood?” He stretched his arms over his head, sharing a yawn with Twilight. He let the quiet stretch out for a few seconds. “Maybe it was my outward rejection of Fluttershy that has you so off put?”
Twilight closed her eyes and turned away. “The only reason I'm not saying anything is because it's your birthday…” she sighed, putting a hoof on her neck. “And Applejack and Rainbow Dash already said everything. You could've been more... gentle with her.”
“But I was being honest, was I not?” Discord continued, inching closer to Twilight. “Was I to lead her on? To give her false hope?” He furrowed his brows."I told her I wasn't interested. Romantically. I never told her we couldn't be friends, so why was everyone so... upset with me?” he growled, his tail flicking. “And you, Ms. Sparkle? Why are you so upset, especially?”
Twilight looked down to her hooves. “I'm sure you know Fluttershy's liked you for a while now. She was devastated. She's probably still with Rarity.”
“She is,” Discord quickly added. “I checked. She wasn't home.”
A silence broke out between the two, allowing the nighttime to envelope them. The stars seemed a big brighter, shoving themselves into their faces instead of gently illuminating the town. The moon mocked them, pushing its beams down on their faces to light up the dull scene for all to see, like a spotlight upon the castle.
“You broke her heart, and then you pretended nothing happened,” Twilight said slowly, fidgeting with her hooves as her ears fell back. “In the middle of the party, she asked you out, she was so scared, and you just… rejected her. With no emotion. Then went on to partying while she cried.”
Discord breathed in sharply, drawing away from Twilight’s piercing gaze.
“I… I thought being blunt would help,” he mumbled, rubbing his paw on his neck. “I thought it would make things easier. I was clearly wrong, but I didn’t do anything. The last person she’d want to see is me after that. But I guess ignoring it wasn't right, either.” Her quickly jolted forward, forcing a smile. He opened his mouth, some sort of joke or jest trying to form. Nothing came out. His smile faded.
Twilight paused, staring him down. “You’ll… you’ll apologize, right?”
“Of course, right away tomorrow. Her friendship is dear to me.”
A quiet broke through their conversation, until Discord cleared his throat.
“Tonight is beautiful,” he said, closing his eyes. “Would be a beautiful night for a couple to be together, would it not?”
Twilight creased her brows, tilting her head to him. “I… suppose. What are you getting at?”
“I guess I’ll cut to the chase. I know why you’re really upset, Twilight,” he continued, inching closer to her. “The sun is gone, the night is peaceful, the moon is lighting everything up. Is it not a picture perfect night for a cheesy romance novel?”
Twilight felt her cheeks light up, turning a soft rose shade of red. “It’s a nice night. Why are you saying that? Are you making fun of Fluttershy?”
“Oh, no, I’m making fun of you,” Discord whispered, closer to her. “When I said no to Fluttershy, remember a few words I said? A few words that made you really upset?”
Twilight’s jaw hung open, struggling to form words as his face came closer and closer to hers. “I.. I-”
She looked into his eyes. There was no point in hiding it. Casting her stare to the ground, she sighed, watching her own hooves twitch. “You said it would never work, you weren’t interested in ponies.”
With those words, Discord drew back, his snaggletooth lit up in the moonlight as his lips pulled back into a simper. “A bit of paraphrasing, but yes. And which little pony had to leave to the balcony after drinking herself into drunkenness after those words?” Discord said. “Oh, and that’s a nice hangover spell I’m sensing, Twilight.”
Twilight pulled herself closer to the railing, wrapping her hooves around it. “It’s just a crush. I’ll get over it. Besides, I could never do that to Fluttershy.”
“You’re right,” Discord commented, pulling his tail to his body. “Romance is gross. But what a waste.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “A waste?” she said, her face hanging over the rail and hovering over the town below.
“This view is gorgeous,” Discord started, standing up. “Any pony would be mesmerized by this view, lost in the romance of it all.” His arms gestured to the sky around them. “But there’s just me and you awake.” He spun around to face the castle, slumping over comically. “And there’s absolutely no way I’d ever be interested in a pony. Ever. Not at all. I rejected Fluttershy solely based on this.”
Twilight winced, looking away. “Discord, it’s a little too soon to say stuff like this-” she found herself silenced by a lion paw ungracefully shoved in her face, forced to watch Discord with tired eyes as he dramatically swooned and swayed over to the balcony rail, bending over it.
“Oh, what a shame I got your favorite chocolates too after realizing how upset you were,” Discord sighed, pulling out a small box from behind his back with his eagle claws. “How wasteful, a beautiful night and chocolates with no lovers in sight to enjoy them.”
Her eyes widened, watching the box intensely. “You… you got me-”
Discord handed over the box, watching with a grin as Twilight secured it in her magic, unable to speak. “Such a lovely night to be wasted,” he muttered, shaking his head. “And I feel nothing about you, Twilight. Not even a spark. How could Luna let not a single couple bask in this night’s radiance?”
Twilight set the box to the side, flapping her wings lightly as she stood up. A soft smile spread across her mouth. “Some other mare would love this,” she commented, walking toward him. “Shame that mare’s not me.”
“Yes, I’m feeling no romance tonight. What a waste of a lovely night.”
The two stood in silence for a moment, before a few soft laughs came from Twilight mouth. Discord joined after a few seconds, their laughs echoing throughout the shattered quiet of the night. Twilight brushed her mane out of her face, pressing it against the cool breeze.
“Let’s enjoy some chocolates, then?” Discord asked, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry for upsetting you.”
Twilight grinned, using his telekinesis to bring the box in front of her. “Let’s hope your apology is just as good for Fluttershy.”
“Of course.”
Author's Note
