Kindness and Chaos

On the outskirts of Silver Shoals, sat a small, unassuming cabin, overlooking the Celestia Ocean and the shoreline of northwestern Equestria. It was far enough away to not attract too much attention from the town that served as a destination for ponies that had reached retirement age. The village had a small boating industry, and sat between Vanhoover and Tall Tale.

Celestia, former ruler of Equestria, sat reclined in her beach chair listening to the morning waves as a cool breeze passed over the hills behind her. On the small wooden table beside her sat a plate with a few drops of leftover maple syrup and a half glass of orange juice. The opening months of retirement had been mostly peaceful thus far. There were always a few ponies they'd encounter on the beach or in town, eager for an autograph or picture, and they were always happy to accommodate them. It was still far, far less hectic than the daily grind in Canterlot.

The royal sisters had also encountered a few light hiccups along the way too; Celestia still felt some residual tingles from her horn whenever the sun rose or set, and Luna was still unwittingly thrust into somepony else's dreams occasionally, but for the most part they didn't mind; it was a nice, mostly unobtrusive reminder of the duties they had since passed on.

The princess took a magical hold of the glass of orange juice, began to take a sip, and almost snorted it through her nose when there was a flash of light, and a purple-barked tree materialized ten feet from her chair. Perched on one of the two single branches, was a creature she honestly wasn't expecting to see until the first Festival of the Two Sisters, which would probably be one of the only times of the year that she and Luna would return to Equestria's capital.

"Discord?" Celestia asked, sitting up in her chair, lowering her rose-tinted sunglasses on her snout to get a clearer look at the draconequus.

"Lonely cabin in the hills? That's where the former rulers of Equestria are living now?" The lord of chaos replied, gazing down at her from his Thinking Tree.

"Compared to the daily extravagance of Canterlot for a millennium, it's more than a welcome change. Is there something I can do for you?" The princess asked, getting up from her chair.

"I certainly hope so," Discord said, dropping from his sitting position and started swinging on the branch with his eagle claw. "This tree isn't doing me a whole lot of good so far, and I've been in it all night! I figured if anypony could give me advice, it'd be the one who I've known the longest. Granted, 99.9% of that time, I was... Rather stoned, but that's beside the point."

Celestia was wondering how to reply when she looked him over, and noticed that on the middle finger of his eagle talon, was a gold ring, with a gemstone. A ruby...? No, topaz? Diamond? Celestia saw the gem change color and opacity every few seconds.

"Discord, are you...?"

"Engaged! Betrothed! Affianced!" Discord finished for her, worry infiltrating his voice as he dropped down onto the sand, a black form-fitting tuxedo appearing on his body. "To one Fluttershy, our dear Element of Kindness." He said, throwing up a pawful of glitter, which changed into glowing butterflies that were quickly taken by the wind.

"Well, first and foremost, congratulations..." Celestia said, unable to hide the confusion in her voice as she watched the butterflies float over the hills behind them. If Discord had the ring, Fluttershy must have been the one who proposed, and for the life of her, Celestia couldn't picture that in her head.

"Secondly, I'm flattered you've come to me, but exactly what kind of advice do you need?" Celestia asked, beckoning him to follow her back up the planked walkway back up to her cabin.

"Well, last night I took the ring and of course said yes. Then I told her I would be back once I had some things figured out. I... Haven't figured them out yet."

Celestia barely resisted the urge to slam her face into her front hooves.

"So you left your new fiance alone overnight after she proposed?" Celestia asked incredulously.

"I've never done anything like this before, and believe me, that's saying a lot!" The draconequus protested. "One of the things I'm worried about is... The longevity. You and I have lived considerably longer than most other creatures on the continent." He continued as they came up to the back door of her cabin.

"That much is true, yes." Celestia agreed, opening the door and ushered him in. They had come into the dining area of a two-bedroom, two story log cabin. Celestia motioned to the four-seat dining table for him to sit at while she went to the kitchen and returned promptly with tea service for two.

"So I guess what I'm asking is... Was there anyone else in your millennium-long reign? Suitors? Lovers?" Discord asked after Celestia poured the tea.

"Mm. Yes, one." She began, treating Discord's question very respectfully. "It wasn't too long after you were overthrown. We loved each other dearly. But as the years passed, seeing him age while I stayed the same was... Taxing. The burden I had taken on along with my sister had never been more clear. In his final days, he reassured me, telling me I was going to go on and do amazing things for Equestria. It didn't make his passing any easier."

Celestia paused, sipping at her tea, and took notice how Discord had done nothing but listen intently.

"So may I assume that of all the things you've seen, experienced, and created, that this is the first time somepony has offered themselves so wholly to you?"

Discord merely nodded.

"So I take it you grieved?" He asked, taking a sip from his cup.

"I did." Celestia nodded solemnly. "It was one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life, second only to what I was forced to do to Luna nearly a century later. I never forgot all the happy years we spent together, but after Luna's banishment, I decided that the loss was a heartache I wasn't willing to put myself through again. Close companionship was something I taught myself to live without, and I made due with guiding and watching my students learn, grow, and go out into the world and do great things."

"So are you saying I've made the wrong choice here?" The draconequus asked. Celestia paused in her drink.

"Absolutely not. Discord, losing him hurt like hell, but he lived a full, happy life with me. Never once do I regret the decades we spent together. It's something you're going to have to eventually deal with yourself, but cross that bridge when you get to it. Worrying about it isn't going to do either of you any good. If Fluttershy lives for another sixty or seventy years, aren't those years something you'd like nothing more than to spend with her, making each other happy?"

Discord nodded, finishing his tea.

"I believe I see your point, Celestia. I've been reformed for barely two years now... That's an awful lot of time to screw things up. Gods know I'm good at that."

"Discord, I've had a considerable amount of time to think about your actions before the coronation, and I know that even though you won't admit it, or maybe you didn't even know you were doing it subconsciously, but I think there was much more behind your actions than boosting Twilight's confidence. I think part of you wanted to take the redemption you experienced, and tried, somewhat disastrously, to share it with others. A hard lesson, but one that I believe you have taken to heart." Celestia replied, glancing over to the fireplace, and levitating a glass vase over to the table. Inside, was the bouquet of multicolored glowing flowers he had given her after the battle with Tirek.

"These haven't so much as wilted since the day you gave them to me. You can be a very kind, compassionate, caring being when you want to be."

Discord smiled at her, touched that she had kept them all this time.

"But if Fluttershy wants to spend the rest of her life with me, does that mean she wants to... You know...?" Discord trailed off, focusing very, very hard on not snapping anything of a lewd nature into the dining room. Celestia likewise managed to stifle a giggle.

"I believe all I'll say to that is, ponies have needs, Discord. On that note, so do you; needs of a different sort. I remember when she told me about the tea party you held at your house, how you bent over backwards to try and make her as comfortable as possible, and it very nearly led to your demise. Long-term relationships, marriage most of all, is a give-and-take. So you can't spend the whole time thinking about just what she needs. Be surprising and unpredictable. You may even find sides of her you never even knew existed; sides she'll share with you and you alone. Yes, obviously be careful, but don't stop being yourself." Celestia told him, finishing off her cup of tea, before setting it gently down on the saucer with a clink.

"Because I'm certain she gave you that ring because she loves you just the way you are."

Discord looked down at the ring, in which the gemstone had changed two dozen times over the course of this conversation. He nodded, got up from his seat, and gave a bow.

"Thank you, Princess. I feel much better now."

Celestia smiled at him.

"And when the wedding date is set, please be sure that my invitation is not lost in the mail."