Equestria Underground-Book I: Hope Is Magic

The quiet of the expansive forest was disrupted when a burst of scintillating energy flared in a clearing, scaring off all creatures big and small. Dusting himself off, Discord inhaled the air and sighed a pleasant breath of relief. It’d been approximately six months, eleven weeks, fourteen days, one-hundred-and-two hours and thirty-five seconds since he’d been able to stand out and enjoy the fresh air. Nopony knew this but Discord loved the outdoors. He was particularly taken with the various animals and their day-to-day lives as they ate one another. It was so chaotic!

“Yes, yes, yes!” He cheered, jumping up and down and doing a little twirl. “The D to the I to the S to the C-O-R-D is back in the hizzouse, baby!”

“Are you going to put me down now?”

Discord looked down at Sunset Shimmer, who he'd honestly forgotten was still nestled in the crook of one arm. “Oh, right, sorry about that! Not used to having company.” Setting the unicorn down, he conjured up a pilot’s uniform and a base station microphone. “Attention passengers, we hoped that you enjoyed your flight and we thank you for choosing Air Discord.”

There was another flash of light and Sunset found that she was wearing a black cocktail dress and seated at a table with a tuxedo-dressed Discord on the other end. “Now then,” the draconequus smiled and magically lit a pair of candles. “Let’s proceed with our date.”

“We aren’t on a date, Discord,” Sunset said as she took off the cocktail dress. “Mostly because one, you made me public enemy number two-right after you-and two, they have my brother and Ancient Ones know what they will do to him.” Sunset blinked away frustrated tears and began to rub at her face furiously; Solar Mages didn't cry.

“Hey, now...don’t...don’t do that.” Discord snapped his fingers, making everything disappear. He stooped down to Sunset’s eye level and rubbed her cheek with his lion’s paw. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that I’d end up hurting you because of that. Can you forgive me, Sunny?”

“I-I don’t know Discord but definitely not right now.” Sunset sniffed. “He was the only family I had. My dad died shortly after Sunburst arrived and I haven’t seen my mom in years.”

Discord hoisted Sunset up and held her to his chest. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. I mean, you have me and I promise that I’ll never leave you. I mean, I can’t since you saved my life and all. Ancient draconequus law. You’re stuck with me and that means I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you happy and healthy, my little firebrand.”

“Stuck with you or not, I would need to know what has happened with my brother,” Sunset smirked a little. “Then you may take me on a date.”

Literal fireworks exploded around them. “Really?!” Discord gripped Sunset’s hooves and spun her around as triumphant band music played from seemingly nowhere. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Finally, I get to have a date! In your face, Uncle Carlito!”

“Sorry but with everything that happened the last six months, you can understand why dating wouldn’t be high on my priority list.” Sunset used her magic to grab a journal that contained various details over the last six months. “Like the Nightmare guard encounter, then your small chocolate milk binging, and the funniest when you accidently turned yourself into a mare.”

Discord laid on his stomach and suspended a foot off the ground, his chin held up by his hands as he gazed over her humorously. “So, you’ve been keeping notes on me. How creepily and flatteringly romantic.” He turned over and placed his hands behind his neck. “Then again, I can’t blame you for having good taste. I was considered quite the catch back home.”

Sunset couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Even when she was upset, he somehow still managed to put a smile on her face. “I’m sure you were Discord. Now let’s get going. I heard rumors of a free town that we could use as a hide out.”

“Hmm. Okay, let’s go!” SNAP! Where Discord once stood, there was instead a dark gray unicorn stallion, though his goatee and red eyes were dead giveaways if you were looking for them. He sported a slicked back mane and a tornado for a cutie mark. All in all, not a bad look. “Well, what do you think? Aren’t I quite the catch?” He posed and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Eh, Good enough.” Sunset pulled out a map that was in the journal. “The rumored location of the town is somewhere east of the Great Hooves Mountain Range.” She used a tack to point out the most likely area that it would be at. “We will need a cover story. I’m guessing you want to play the married couple?”

“Does Daybreaker have an ass big enough to block out the sun?” Sunset snorted at his amazing joke. Discord tapped his chin with a hoof and then briefly glanced at the appendage before shaking his head. “I just thought of something. I don’t have a pony name. All of you ponies have something gag-inducingly cute for a name.”

“Well this form has a tornado cutie mark so what about Strong Winds?” Sunset asked as she examined Discord. “You were born into a pegasus family but as a unicorn, hence why the name is more or less a pegasus one.”

“I work in Canterlot as a meteorologist and we first met at a fast food joint, where you fell head-over-hooves in love with me at first sight,” Discord grinned, putting a foreleg around her.

“I’m pretty sure it's the other way around, Lover-colt.” Despite her best efforts, she blushed at her current proximity to Discord.

Discord leaned in close. “I’d buy that story. You are quite the natural beauty, my dear. Since we’re playing a couple, why don’t we practice our kissing? You know, for the act?”

Sunset pushed Discord away. “No thank you, 'Honey bun.' Now that we have everything out of the way, why don’t we head out to find out what happened to my brother and to find that town.”

Discord bowed and gestured ahead. “Ladies first.”

“Such a gentle colt.” Sunset deadpanned as she took a look around. ”Coast is clear.” If Sunset was thankful for anything, it was that they looked like they just got done with couple “activities,” thanks to her messy mane and Discord's apparent pep in his step. It certainly helped their cover at any rate.

Up, down, up, down. Discord’s eyes tracked the movements of Sunset’s flank, watching the two globes of flesh bounce and slide against one another with each step. It wasn’t bulbous like a certain sun-queen’s nor was it flat and uninteresting, being somewhere in the middle. It was the flank of a both a hard-working warrior as well as a hot mare. Ponies would go to war over such a flank. Discord was pretty much drooling at this point.

“Hurry Up, Winds! Otherwise, we will miss the train!” Sunset called out to the increasingly farther back draconequus.

“Huh, what?” Discord snapped out of his booty-centered reverie and galloped up to Sunset’s right side. “Sorry about that, Sugar Lumps. I was, erm, thinking about something.”

“Like my flanks?” She wiggled her backside for emphasize. ”I know how you think.”

Discord looked away embarrassingly. “Um, in my defense, you...are really hot. Can’t fault a guy for liking what he sees. Seriously, your flank is better than the Sisters’.”

“Your compliment is noted. Now move it before you end up missing the train with my flank on it.” She then picked up her pace if only to tease him some more.

Discord bit back a response and instead did as Sunset asked, confused as to why he was so willing to follow her orders. But, then again, that flank was great incentive to do so. Seriously, the Flank was strong with this one.

“Hey Sunny, I just had an idea.” Discord’s horn glowed gold and a ring appeared on both of their horns, a diamond one in Sunset’s case. “Now we officially look the part!” He beamed, scooting up right next to her and rubbing his face against her own. “Nothing but the best for you.”

“Thank you, Dear," Sunset cooed as she instinctively rubbed back, unaware of what she was doing. “Now if you are done goofing off, let's get going.”

“‘Done goofing off’? That’s like telling a fish not to fly or a bird not to swim,” Discord grumbled as they reached the train station. “So this is married life, huh? So far not bad.”

“Two tickets to the Great hooves Mountains please.” Sunset asked the ticket seller. “We're heading there for our honeymoon.”

“That’s right, darling!” Discord chipped in, a forearm placed around Sunset’s neck as his tail ever-so-slightly brushed against one of her butt cheeks.

“Congratulations,” the bored-looking stallion droned. “Here you go. Enjoy yourselves.”

“Thank you! Let’s go, Sunny. We’ve got some headboards to break,” Discord smirked with a pumping motion.

“I’m going to break your head over a board if you scream that again.” Sunset growled out.

Discord drew back and placed his hooves on his chest. “Why Sugar Lumps,” he cooed with an eyelash flutter. “I had no idea you were into the rough stuff.” He grinned seductively. "I like that." Sunset then used her magic and slammed his head on a bench, forcing a couple teeth to come out.

“Warned you.” She simply stated.

Little green birds chirped around Discord’s head as he pulled his broken face off of the bench. “Gods, what a mare!” He sighed amorously through his broken teeth.

The train arrived soon shortly after and thankfully, they got an almost empty cabin to themselves as there was a elderly couple that was also on board, but they didn’t seem to pay the young “couple” any mind and just enjoyed each other. Rather than make noises or cause a scene, Discord shockingly stayed quiet, mostly observing the old couple with an odd look of longing or staring at his reflection in the window, particularly at the ring glistening on his horn. Sunset had fallen asleep as she hadn’t been sleeping well ever since Discord whisked her away. Nightmare Moon had personally seen to giving her terrifying nightmares as part of her training and it'd impacted her ever since.

Now that they had a moment to themselves, Discord took time to really inspect his “wife.” Her face had hard lines, no doubt as a result of all the stress from serving the Sisters, but he believed her to still be in her early twenties. There was a sort of softness to her features that the Solar Mages training had thankfully left unscathed. He meant what he said: Sunset Shimmer was a natural beauty. Noticing some strands of hair in her face, Discord gently brushed them aside with his hoof. Right, like you’d actually have a chance, Runt.

Sunset shivered a little; he figured she was having another nightmare as she was shaking and sweat was starting to pour from her face. Discord scooted over next to Sunset and bit his lower lip, unsure of what to do. He then slowly and gently pulled her towards him and wrapped his forelegs around her, placing her head beneath his chin. Caressing her mane, he then began to hum, something that his folks did for him whenever he had a nightmare.

It seemed to have worked if only slightly as she was no longer shaking and this brought some small comfort for the draconequus. His heart hammered in his chest as he beheld the sleeping mare, a bit perturbed by the alien feelings swarming around inside of him. No, this was just an act, nothing more. Sunset said that it just a cover story. Yet, why did this bother him so much?