Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Sorry. But if I did, why would I be here?
Also, this is my first Discord/Celestia fanfiction, so go easy on me. I spent so long on this story; I would write a sentence or two, then come back a week later and do the same thing, and so on and so forth. I'm sorry if this doesn't live up to expectations because of that.
This is what I got. I think I did pretty good for my first time. Let the fic begin!
He didn't know why he kissed her. Discord and Celestia, lips battling in the royal quarters, wasn't something that had been predicted. Mainly, the chaos lord was too focused on trying not to pass out due to the influx of emotions. How had it gotten to this?
Well, no. That wasn't a fair question. He knew exactly how. Sadly.
Perhaps it had always been there. It sure seemed like it, looking back. But recently it was unbearably strong, and he had no idea how to cope.
Over 1,000 years ago, Celestia and Discord were friends; and then the world turned upside down, it seemed. Soon everything went topsy-turvy and they were bitter enemies rather than foalhood pals. That wasn't the confusing part.
When he threatened her again by taking the elements of harmony; that still wasn't the odd aspect of their dynamic.
Even being awakened from stone a second time around and Celestia still gunning for friendship wasn't the weird bit, let alone the issue with Tirek. The part that confused Discord was what came after.
He gave her flowers as an apology and began to live in the castle with her majesty. But even the master of chaos couldn't have predicted what would become of that.
Discord had officially moved into the castle. His bedroom had now become a receptacle of chaos rather than just living quarters, complete with cotton candy clouds, a gravity defying chocolate fountain, a soap ice skating rink, and a vortex to his own pocket dimension of chaos. But when Celestia wanted to visit; well, she wasn't expecting what she saw.
"Hello, Discord," she told him, standing in the doorway. He nearly snorted. The princesses were beginning to get downright nosy. He decided to cut to the chase and allow her in.
"Well, don't just stand there," he sighed with undisguised exasperation and mischief. "You haven't even said anything yet and already I feel bored." She complied, going into the room sorely unprepared for the sight awaiting her.
"Wha . . ." she gasped, open mouthed as she gazed through the constant stream of weirdness. "Wha . . ."
"Cat got your tongue?" She shook her head, slowly moving into the room from the doorway. "What are you doing here Celestia? Need anything?" The question was kind of rhetorical; he already knew she was there to check on him.
"I . . . I think . . . I . . ." she replied, practically stuttering.
"Can't handle chaos, Celestia?" teased Discord. He had actually tried to make the room more strange than usual, turning things upside-down and letting pure chaos energy flow into the space. He figured that messing with her would be hilarious. "It's alright, Celly," he smirked, examining his claws. "Not many ponies can."
"I love it!" she squeaked. Discord blinked.
"Come again?"
"It's incredible!" she laughed. "It's like a whole other world is being hidden in your room. Is that chocolate?" The mare was so excited that the chaos lord almost did a double take. She was looking at absolutely everything. "There are couches made of cake in here! And peppermint trees!" She was practically bouncing off of the walls now. "I can't remember the last time I was this . . . this . . ."
"Hyperactive?"
"Enthusiastic! It's like something out of my dreams as a filly." Nope, Discord was dreaming now. There was no way that rule-stickler Celestia was enjoying his creations.
"You like it?" he asked, claw and paw pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wait a second, I think I've finally lost it. You like this?" She already was eating a part of his hedges.
"Of course! Have you seen your bedroom? It's amazing!" Then the sun princess noticed a bounce house in the corner. "I haven't been on one of those in nearly 400 years." She turned back to him, eyes ablaze. "Let's bounce." He nearly collapsed right there. This was so contrary to what he associated with the mature ruler. She was acting like a 10 year old pony.
"Are you messing with me?" he questioned suspiciously. "Because if you are, I swear, Celestia . . ."
"Why would I be?" she shot back, and for a second, she seemed like the royal he had come to respect. Then she bit her lip. "I know it's weird, but I haven't had the chance to act like a kid in thousands of years; this makes me excited, somehow." He couldn't argue with that.
"Fine," he sighed, and Celestia squealed. "But only for an hour, Celly. That's about as long as I can tolerate you."
"I understand." She looked like she would hug him, but at the last second she pulled back, assuming he wouldn't appreciate such displays of affection. He scowled, but inside the chaos lord was smiling. Of course, he couldn't let her know that. If she thought he was a big softie, she would be walking all over him.
"And by the way, Discord, my name is Celestia. Not Celly." After a moment, though, she changed her mind. "But friends call me Tia."
"Alright, Tia." The princess grinned.
"Race you to the bounce house?" Yeah, this was weird, but who was Discord to discourage a little chaos? Heck, he could probably use some mindless fun, too.
"You're on." And thus a real friendship was born.
"Shhhh," the monster told Celestia. She was waiting around a dimly lit corner with Discord. For some reason he had wanted to prank ponies that afternoon. He had almost gotten her, actually, when she caught him in the act. She threatened him with several unmentionable punishments until he agreed to let her join him. Now they were both waiting for someone to pass by. "Honestly, Celestia, you'd think that this your first time pranking." She tilted her head slightly.
"That's because it is. I've never done this before. This is going to be so exciting!" she squealed. He rolled his eyes at the white mare.
"Tone it down, Tia. Nobody will ever be stupid enough to pass by if they hear you scream - "
"I think I heard someone! Come on, let's go!" said a stranger passing through. Discord turned back to Celestia, almost surprised.
"Well, I stand corrected, Tia," he whispered to her. "Is everything ready?" She nodded excitedly. During their few adventures together in the last several days, he learned that she was always ready to try something new, no matter how silly or stupid it seemed. It was just a part of who Tia was.
"Ready," she nodded solemnly. She pulled the rope at her hooves taunt while Discord waited at the very edge of the ledge, cupping his ear. When the footsteps were loud enough, he gave her a heads up. A vat of chocolate milk dropped onto two unsuspecting stallions.
"Did you see the looks on their faces, Celestia?" laughed Discord, grabbing his stomach. "It was hilarious!" She was laughing as well by now, holding a hoof to her mouth in a poor effort to disguise her amusement.
"That was great!" she exclaimed. She looked back at the two sopping wet ponies and laughed again. "You look hysterical!" The first of the two horses looked almost miffed.
"So I take it there isn't an intruder trying to sneak into the palace?" he asked dryly. Celestia had the decency to look ashamed. These were members of her royal guard, after all; making fun of them for doing their job, which was to protect her and the kingdom, wasn't right.
"No, I'm sorry, gentlecolts," she told the dutifully. Discord almost fell backwards; she had taken a 360 degree turn from the giggling alicorn of a few moments ago. Where had this competent and mature ruler come from? "It was incredibly rude of me to laugh at you; please accept a raise for your years of service and dedication to the crown." The two wet ponies instantly perked up.
"Thank you, benevolent princess," said the second one, bowing slightly before continuing on his patrol. The first one eyed the duo of ancients with weariness, but with a sigh, he cracked a hesitant smile.
"Thank you, Princess Celestia," he told her, following his fellow guard back to their post. As they left, Tia grinned at him again, back to the pony he had come to know her as.
"Do you want to try again?" she questioned. "I don't want my first pranking spree to be a total waste." He tried to understand what had just happened, but then he figured that this was Celestia; she wasn't ever going to make things easy on him.
"Why not?" Her smile gripped him for some reason, and he knew that several more members of the castle staff would be getting raises that day.
"Tia," whined Discord, who was floating over the princess' form. She was in a private section of the royal Canterlot library, completely engrossed in a book about sun lore in ancient Equestria. However, this lead to the neglect of her companion, who was easily distracted. "I'm bored, Celestia!" he reiterated. "Let's do something fun." She flipped another page. Novels like this were very fascinating, after all.
"Did you know everyone thought the world was flat back then? And that the sun was a round disk, too?" asked the mare, not really hearing him. "How odd they must have been, the ponies who wrote these books. If only they had met Luna and I back then." Discord only groaned as she continued talking, starry eyed and excited. This was different than their freelance, childlike sort of fun. The pranks, the bounce houses, the eating; that was all foal stuff that they had been doing together. This was grown up fun. Discord wasn't sure if he could tolerate it anymore.
Celestia had insisted that the two of them come to the library. It seemed that whenever he brought up anything about his past experiences - or lack of them, as the case may be - she felt the need to do something about them. He mentioned that he had never actually been inside a pony library during a lunch with her (no, it wasn't anything like a date, shut up) and as per usual, Tia had wanted to go to the Canterlot's resident library. And, rather predictably, she got distracted by the selections the minute they arrived and instantly began reading in her own private room. Oh, joy.
But the fact that he first brought it up didn't mean that it was his fault that they were there. Nope. Not at all.
Either way, the monster was incredibly bored.
"Yes, fascinating, I'm sure," grumbled the chaos lord. "Now can we leave? You can save the book for later." He was now playing with her hair, taking strands and tugging at them lightly. "It's a library. You can check the book out." Once again, she ignored his pleas, enraptured in the text.
"Mmm, it's been so long since festivals like those were held." She was gazing at an ancient depiction of harvest festivals in Equestria. "I remember the way the - "
"Okay, now I'm taking the book," Discord said. He couldn't keep the unmistakable look of relief off of his face, however, as he snatched the novel out of her hooves with a simple transport spell. Soon it was nestled in his arms and the creature was flipping through the pages jokingly. "Oh, what an interesting read, Celestia. What is this, 3rd century Equestrian? 13th? I bet it's very valuable." The sun princess practically growled. Nobody stole her books; they were sacred. Already she could feel an unjustified anger building in her chest.
"Give me back the manuscript, Discord," she uttered through clenched teeth. "I am telling you this once. Don't make me use force." Her companion only laughed, continuing to talk about the book without her.
"Why, what unique depictions!" he smirked, just trying to goad her now. "And look at the detail. Isn't it incredible?" She was almost fuming now. The chaos master just turned in neat circles in above her head, as if he was floating on air. Well, he actually was floating on air, but still. "Isn't reading grand, Tia?"
"I want you to give my book back immediately." Discord pretended not to hear.
"Oh my, phoenixes. This is sure to be a great chapter, huh, Celly?" He had leaned down his face directly into hers for this part, and she couldn't have been more mad. With a yell equivalent to a battle cry, the wise, mature leader of Equestria proceeded to tackle her friend. She jumped on top of him, adding extra unexpected weight and shoving him onto the cushion she had been laying on beforehand. Now she was hunched over him, the book levitated just out of his reach with Celestia's magic.
"Ha," she murmured, a hint of mischief in her voice. "I have it now." Discord gulped, suddenly aware of how close together they were - specifically in the face region.
"Um, Tia," he asked, shifting uncomfortably. The places where the two creatures touched felt like fire, and the chaos lord had this heat in his chest. Was Celestia sick or something? Maybe she had passed a fever onto him. "We're kinda . . ."
"Oh, yes, well," she responded, eyes flooding with understanding. She gently shifted off of him, even though they were still next to eachother. "I'm sorry if you're bored. It's just been a while since I came to the library, so I thought it would be a good place to visit. But if you don't want to stay, then - "
"No, I want to hang out with you, Tia!" he practically shouted in protest. Now she had a slight blush on her face, and he couldn't help but acquire the same. "I mean, you can be . . . fun, when you want to be." She smiled slightly at that.
"I can't be a rule stickler all of the time, Discord," she replied easily, shoving him lightly. "But do you want to do something else while we're here?" He perked up slightly now.
"Like what, Celestia?" he questioned. She only laughed, pulling out a book from her stock of favorites. Having your own private room at the library had its perks, it seemed.
"Like reading a book together, Discord. When's the last time you've actually read a book?" He shrugged, unconsciously aware of the atmosphere of the room; the lit fireplace, the cozy giant cushion, the warm purple walls. It was almost . . . romantic, that was it. Romantic.
"About a minute ago, princess, didn't you see me?" She only stared at her friend hard. "It's been about 50 years before you turned me to stone the first time, alright? It's not like there was a lot of time to just sit down and read, anyhow." Celestia was shocked. Had he really gone that long without a story?
"Wow," she responded finally. Then she opened the book. "We're going to change that. This one is called Beauty and the Beast. It's a classic here."
"I've never heard of it before now," he said almost sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "What's it about?"
"You'll find out," she promised. "But in the meantime, I think you'll like it." He curled his tail around the princess as she began to read aloud. They were shoulder to shoulder, pressed together with no room. The chaos lord smiled at Celestia as she read, closing his eyes as something stirred in his stomach.
"Okay, Tia." It was almost an afterthought, but he wanted her to know he was fine with this anyhow.
"Tia," whispered Discord softly. The alicorn still wasn't up. He supposed it was understandable, since this was the middle of the night, but when else would he be able to get her alone? "Tiiiiiaaaaaa, rise and shine." The mare was very tired, it seemed. "Maybe I should just leave," he said to himself softly. Celestia probably needed the rest. But he knew as soon as daylight came, people would be swarming her. Choruses of 'Happy Birthday, Princess!' or 'You're the best!' would ring throughout the kingdom, along with some scattered 'We love you, Celestia!'s. Of course, none of them could possibly love her like him. None of those subjects even really knew her.
Wait. Did he really think that?
Anyways, he turned his thoughts back to waking up the princess. Her surprise couldn't wait until morning.
"Get up, Tia!" he groaned, lightly shaking the ruler. Finally, there was a sign of movement; Celestia shifted lightly underneath the covers, stirring in her sleep. "Thank goodness, Celestia," Discord snorted. "I thought I'd be here until the dawn." With a few more minutes, the sun princess was awake enough for him to pull out of bed.
"Wha . . ." she yawned, still not entirely alert. "What's going on?" She shook her head gently and went into the bathroom, splashing water on her muzzle. Then the princess turned back around, confused. "Discord? It's the middle of the night; what are you doing here?" The creature would have acted ashamed had he not been so excited.
"Oh, no reason at all, Celestia, I just wanted to show you something." She paused, still confused.
"What? And it couldn't wait until morning?" she questioned. He only shrugged, and so she sighed. The mare knew she wouldn't get any sleep until he showed her, anyhow. "Alright. Lead the way." He grinned triumphantly, leading her through the halls with mock stealth. She giggled uncharacteristically as her friend ducked behind pillars when the royal guard passed by. He held his hands together like a weapon and pretended to be a spy in an effort to make her laugh. Sadly enough, it was working.
Soon the duo had arrived at their destination; the kitchen.
"Why are we at the kitchen tonight, Discord?" asked Celestia. He opened his mouth, but she put up her hoof. "Yes, I know. It's a 'surprise'. Just show me already, though. Don't just stand there in front of the entrance." The sun princess loved her fried and all, but the sooner she could get this over with, the sooner she could go back to bed. He grinned, opening the door to the palace kitchen with a flourish.
"Please enter, milday," he snickered. She only rolled her eyes at him, biting her lip to keep from smiling back. But soon her eyes widened.
"Is that a chocolate cake?" the princess asked with longing. Discord laughed at her almost dreamy (ha ha, puns) expression.
"That it is, Celestia, and it's all yours . . . well, except for the part I'm going to eat. I lay claim to at least one slice." Celestia practically jumped on top of him, tackling the creature into a hug.
"THANK YOU!" she squealed. The dignified, regal, incredibly mature ruler rarely ever had cake nowadays. The last time she ate a slice was . . . was . . .
Years, probably. Celestia couldn't remember. It was a shame, really, since cake was one of her favorite things ever. She found herself staring at the sugary confection rather than taking a bite.
"Well, go on, Tia," Discord smirked, clearly amused. "I didn't waste 3 perfectly good hours for you to just look at the dessert, now did I?" She giggled a little, probably because she was so tired.
"Okay," she agreed, eagerly snatching a slice and devouring it. Discord's eyes widened. How did such a small mouth take in that much? "This is delicious!" she whisper shouted, smiling so brightly she could have blinded somepony. "You made this?"
"Why of course, Tia," he said fondly, rolling his eyes. "It's not as if it baked itself." Then he stroked his beard, pondering the idea. "Well, I suppose with me around, that might not have been entirely out of the question, but no. I created it alone, magic free." She hugged him again out of nowhere, burying her face in his neck. Even though he was confused and feeling awkward and her hair was in his face, he couldn't help but feel warm inside, like his heart was heating up. "You're welcome, Princess."
"Discord?" she asked him. They had taken a walk through the palace gardens and had stopped by a very special place: Discord's stone pedestal from his days spent as a statue. He hadn't spoken for a while, just starring off into space with a glossy expression, and the princess was beginning to get worried.
"Yes, Tia?" he asked her quietly, still looking at the rocky prison.
"Do you ever think about eternity?" she questioned softly, hair whipping around in the summer breeze. He finally turned away, opting to look at Celestia.
"All the time." The chaos lord sighed lightly, his shoulders drooping. "It's awful, isn't it?" She nodded solemnly.
"It is a curse." For another long pause, there was absolute silence, save for the whistling of the wind. "I hate knowing that everything I love is never permanent. It's going to be snatched away by time eventually. Luna and I . . . we will never be normal. All of our friends will slip away." She sat down in the damp grass now, ignoring the cold dew on her fur. "I hate being alone."
"So do I, Tia," he smiled bitterly. "Time is a chaos even I cannot control. It is unyielding and constant yet illusive and trickling, all within the same breath. It's a prison worse than stone, because even the ones who have escaped it are still slighted."
"I'm so sorry for your suffering," she whispered, realizing for the first time how much her friend had lost during his imprisonment. He merely placed a claw on her back, a reminder that he was there, flesh and blood.
"It's okay. I've already forgiven you." It was only the truth.
Wordlessly, Celestia walked to the stone pillar and wielded her magic. On the lifeless rock bloomed flowers, pouring out of the top and cracking the cement. Soon it was covered in vibrant blooms, each one different from the others.
"There," she said finally, proud of her work. "Something alive for what was once without joy." Now a real smile, a happy one this time, spread across the creature's face.
"Whatever happens in the future, regardless of the time or place, I hope you're there." The words surprised even the chaos lord himself. The princess of the sun grinned back at him, the notion enveloping her features with warmth.
"Of course, Discord." That simple phrase shouldn't have been able to make his chest clench with feeling, but for some reason his insides were trying to do loops, and he couldn't care less.
Even if those last several years were terrible, at least he had Celestia now.
It was over his routine tea party that he realized he liked her. He liked her a lot.
"Oh, I'm so happy that you could make it, Discord," smiled the petite yellow pegasus. Fluttershy reached across the table and poured him another glass of mint tea. It flowed out in a heavy, hot wave into his cup. A drop here and there threatened to spill over, only to be caught by the rim of the china at the last moment. There was a raw power to running water. It was almost chaotic, if you thought about it. Maybe that's one of the reasons he loved their meetings so much.
Oh, who was he kidding? It was because of Fluttershy, of course. He knew all of this time spent around the girls would make him sentimental. Yet somehow, strangely enough, he could barely bring himself to care.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he laughed. Surprisingly, it was true. His companion smiled.
It was funny, what a little friendship did to him.
"How has living with the princess been?" she asked him softly. "It's been strange, not having you around." She took a sip of her tea, then wrinkled her nose as if realizing something. "Look at me. I've gotten so used to your strangeness that when something weird isn't happening, then that's strange." Discord chuckled slightly.
"That means you miss my presence, Fluttershy. Absence makes the heart grow fonder." She rolled her eyes lightly, smiling at his antics.
"But are you at least enjoying your time at the castle?"
"It's been . . . fun, I suppose," he told his friend. To his surprise, he found that it was true. He genuinely enjoyed his time living with the girls. Especially Celestia. "I haven't seen very much of Luna, since she sleeps during the day and handles dreamscape problems during the night, but Tia and I have been spending a lot of time together. She's a good friend." Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow.
"You call her Tia?"
"Well, of course I do. She hated the name Celly, so Tia was the only other obvious alternative." He looked her up and down suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason," the pegasus commented. Another small sip was slurped from her saucer. "I was just curious is all. Not many people are close enough to the princess to nickname her. Even Twilight still calls her 'Princess Celestia' from time to time." The draconequus shrugged.
"It's just innocent teasing. We honestly do so much around each other that it'd be weird if I called her by that. 'Princess Celestia' can be incredibly formal."
"Well, what do you two like to do together, if you don't mind me asking," Fluttershy questioned timidly. She picked up a cucumber sandwich that he had brought over, munching on it softly. "I've never really heard you talk about other ponies before."
"Nothing much. I thought I would hate her at first," he hummed. The creature's friend nodded in encouragement from across the table, and so he continued. "But then it turns out she wasn't so stuck up. Tia loved bounce houses and pranks and sneaking out to eat cake in the middle of the night . . ." Fluttershy smiled slightly, her lips itching upwards. He sounded so wistful. "She's different from what I thought she would be."
"What's so special about her?"
"She's a lot like you, actually." The chaos lord said this without really thinking about it. He was just listing facts about Tia. "She's kind and sweet and nice to me, even when she doesn't have to be. When I was little, Celestia was my first friend, actually. And now . . . she's even better. She just makes me happy." He stopped for a moment, sipping his tea and amending what he had just said about her. "Not that she's all daisies and songs, of course. Tia's fearless, it seems. She can be beaten, of course, since she's only human, but she always faces what's in front of her. She doesn't back down. Obviously she has some backbone if she hangs out with me."
"Obviously," Fluttershy giggled, taking in the way he was sitting in her house, sipping tea from her fine china and talking about his feelings. "I can't imagine a more terrifying creature." He cast a sideways glance at her, amused by her sarcasm.
"Hilarious, I'm sure. But Tia . . . she's great. She's got so much drive and stubbornness in her; it's like nothing I've ever seen. But the thing I like most about her is that she cares about me; she really cares, not like other ponies. It's unnerving, but in a good way. Does that make any sense?"
"Yes, it does," agreed the mare solemnly. She set down her cup, looking straight at her friend with a knowing smile. "You like her, don't you?" His eyes widened.
"That doesn't make any sense! She's the sun princess and I'm - well, do I look like a normal pony?"
"When does romance ever make sense?" Fluttershy questioned. His jaw promptly stopped working. Was she really going there?
"I don't like Tia. She's just a great mare, that's all."
"A great mare that you like," asserted the pegasus with finality.
"No way!"
"It sure seems like you do." She sat there serenely, not an inch of leeway in her expression. "For someone who doesn't like her, you sure seem to think pretty highly of the princess."
"Because she's an exceptional being!"
"Hmmph," snipped the mare quietly with a nonchalant attitude. She continued acting normal, yet not talking. The sight made him loose it.
"There is no way I'm in love with Celestia!" sputtered Discord, nearly choking on the mint flavored drink as he yelled. "Just because I spend every day with her, and I enjoy her company, and she's always there, and she's my best friend besides you . . ." he trailed off for a moment, blinking. He really wasn't helping his case. Fluttershy only dipped her head forwards a bit as if to say 'continue'. For some reason, that little act sent a blush to his cheeks. The chaos lord shook his head, his voice returning even louder than before. "I'm not in love with Tia!" With a noncommittal shrug, his yellow friend got up, placing her teacup in the sink. Over the course of their visit she had finished her tea.
"I won't say anything," the mare said. But, as she sat back down, she folded her hooves on the table and continued. "But who said anything about love? I certainly didn't." Discord almost did a double take. Had she really made him admit something? Did it count as an admittance if he himself wasn't sure about what was said? One thing was for sure; his sweet, innocent, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly best friend sure had one heck of a power over him.
"You can be downright devious when you want to be," he responded, sulking slightly. The pegasus simply smiled in a mischievous manor. Anybody watching wouldn't have thought she had it in her; Fluttershy being smug was incredibly uncharacteristic.
"I have my ways, sometimes," she admitted. "But you do like her, don't you?" He sighed, knowing he wouldn't win. Where had the shy persona fled to?
"Yes," Discord said finally. "I think I do." Maybe even love her, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. He tried his hardest to ignore that voice.
Ponies. Again, he was becoming downright sentimental.
It was now exceptionally rare for the princess to be seen without either Luna or Discord by her side throughout the day. It seemed that wherever she went, the two ex-villains she had become close to once more trailed her around. Today was one such exception. Discord had spent and entire 24 hours without seeing Celestia even once, and it was strange.
Seriously, it was pathetic. He was away from her for one day and already he was going through Tia withdrawals.
This fact was only heightened by the newfound realization that he liked her. Now, being around Celestia was borderline addictive. He already knew so much about her, and yet he wanted to know more. What was it that made her so enticing? Even over the last several weeks, he wasn't quite so sure.
Either way, the fact that he had a crush (at least a crush) on the sun princess was undeniable.
In order to cure his incredible boredom, Discord began wandering the castle. Although he and the girls had already explored much of it during their adventures, he had yet to see several passages and quarters in the enormous building. How did anybody find their way around this palace, anyways? It was all incredibly confusing.
He had just rounded yet another corner when he saw the doors. Previously he had discovered another 27 guest bedrooms, a swimming pool, and indoor pavilion, and more. He had honestly been expecting an arcade when he stumbled upon it.
In front of the draconequus was a huge set of polished wooden doors with looping bronze swirls over top it. An ivory arch framed the massive entrance, and a metal handle was attached to the front of the wood. Curious, he pulled on the handle softly, entering the room before him quietly.
Inside was a beautiful dancing studio, with great oaken stairs on either side of the room leading to a balcony. Marble pillars graced the side walls, and a giant chandelier encompassed the ceiling. Iron rails spiraled out of each stair, forming the guardrail, which extended the entire length of the balcony and continued to the other side. The balcony itself was essentially a higher up dancing space, decorated with bronze lanterns and painted flowers. All in all, it was a stunning masterpiece.
But what really surprised the chaos lord was the fact that Celestia was in the room, dancing by herself to a nonexistent melody. She hadn't seemed to notice his presence yet, so he stood still right inside the doorway, not wanting to disturb her. Besides, there was something magical about her right now, something unusually mysterious and bewitching. Watching her dance was like uncovering a whole other side of her; a raw and unique new person was met in this instant.
Finally, Celestia opened her eyes and nearly choked upon seeing Discord.
"How long were you standing there?" she asked, slightly nervous. He raised an eyebrow. Tia being nervous wasn't something he was accustomed to.
"Not very long, actually," he admitted. "Watching you was . . . interesting. I never knew you could dance." At this, the princess blushed. Yet another uncharacteristic thing for her.
"I'm not very good, I'm afraid. That's why I never dance at the Gala, really; public affairs like that aren't for me. But dancing alone, solely for fun, is enjoyable." She smiled at him, her unease slowly fading away. "It's a good thing it was only you, though."
"You seemed fine to me," he muttered. With a disbelieving laugh, Celestia shoved him gently.
"That's not very likely. Anyways, why are you here?"
"I was just walking around when I found this place," he told her. "I never would have thought something like this would have existed in your palace. It's . . . nice."
"It's incredible, isn't it?" she replied in agreement, taking a moment to soak it in again. "It's my favorite part of the castle." A thought occurred to her then, and her whole face lit up. "Would you like to dance, Discord? I've never danced with a friend in here before. It could be fun." He swallowed hard.
"Of - of course, Tia," he told her. Now he was the uncomfortable one. "It's just that . . . I don't really dance. With girls, I mean. Or at all." She simply shrugged, grabbing a claw and putting it on her shoulder.
"Now you're going to."
"Okay." It started off immensely awkward, with Tia nearly tripping on Discord's tail about seven times. Discord would step on her hooves, and Celestia's mane would get in his face. But soon they realized that if she stood on her hind legs and braced herself against him, they could maneuver around eachother successfully. A few minutes afterwards, they were laughing and talking instead of really focusing, but it was alright, since they were only having fun together.
"You know what this needs?" asked the sun princess after a moment.
"Hmmm?"
"Music," she told him. "I was thinking 'happy birthday' or 'the wheels on the bus'." He couldn't help but laugh yet again at how seriously her quip was delivered.
"How mature of you, Tia," he grinned. Then, in a brief moment of romanticism, he snapped his fingers. "I've got it." Instantly a piano appeared in the corner, playing itself. A sweet, achingly familiar melody escaped the keys, causing music notes to swirl in the air like wisps of gold.
"They're notes," she said in wonder, looking at the way the music unfurled. "And they're beautiful."
"They can't compete with you, princess," he told her. His white companion rolled her eyes fondly.
"You sap," she giggled. His eyes widened. She never giggled at his corny jokes. She must really like this.
"Do you know what song is playing, Tia?" Celestia scrunched up her nose.
"Not really. It's vaguely familiar, but . . ."
"Tale as old as time," he hummed in time with the piano. Her eyes widened.
"Beauty and the Beast! You remembered." The mare was blushing now, her face pooling with red. "I thought you had forgotten that."
"How could I have forgotten, Celestia? You introduced me to the first book I've heard for hundreds of years." Feeling somewhat daring, he twirled her. Somehow her face became even darker, if it were possible. "You're magic, Tia. In more ways than one." Their friendly dance session somehow evolved into a slow waltz, in which Discord realized how close together their faces were. The instant the music ended, the piano dissipated and the music notes evaporated into a shower of golden sparks. "I should probably leave now," he mumbled, his fur hot and bristling. He was pretty sure he exchanged one problem for another; a Tia withdrawal had become a Tia overload.
"Yes, well, um," she replied eloquently, stumbling over her words. "I have fun. I mean, I had fun." She shook her head, sighing. "Thank you for the dance, Discord." As if she didn't really think about the sentence before it escaped her lips, she called after him. "We could do it again sometime."
"You're welcome, Tia," he smiled gently. "And yes, I suppose we could." He left the room and shut the ornate, heavy doors behind him. With a groan, he slid down to his feet against the thick wood. "'I suppose we could, Tia'; I sounded like such an idiot." Then a thought occurred to him, causing a mischievous smirk to arise on his face. "But I'm her idiot." The smile dropped again. "I'm a mess. What does she do to me?"
If he hadn't already fallen for the alicorn, he was definitely in danger of doing so.
The final crack in their relationship came with the simplest, most innocent sort of question.
"You mean you've never had a sleepover?" she asked, shocked. The chaos lord shook his head. They had been talking about this childhoods, or their lack of childhoods, actually. Once he had been friends with the alicorn before him, but that was when they were centuries younger. Hearing her talk about everything is like discovering a favorite childhood book all over again; frighteningly familiar but such a different experience.
"Never in my years," he shrugged. It wasn't like he had possessed enough friends, or even acquaintances, to have parties with. Draconequuses tended to be very solitary creatures, even amongst their own kind. It was the kind of thing a pony wouldn't understand. Indeed, immediately after stating that fact, the mare stared at him as if he had sprouted another head.
"We're fixing that." There was no room for argument. Celestia had made up her mind. Again, the stubborn streak that he admired so much was displayed. "You'll come to my room at 7, Discord. Be prepared." And so Discord agreed quickly, not daring to contradict the lovely (terrifying) horse before him. Besides, he liked it when she ordered him around. There was this tight, warm spot in his chest and he couldn't stop smiling. That couldn't mean anything (but it did, it meant everything). It certainly didn't prove his ridiculous theory on having fallen in love with his best friend (apart from Fluttershy) and ex-enemy.
And yet he felt giddy, like a love-stricken foal in school, the rest of the day. He showed up at Celestia's room at exactly 7, not wanting to waste even a second of his time with her. They did typical filly stuff; eating way too much cake, telling embarrassing stories, playing 20 questions. It was the last activity that set him off, though. The pillow fight.
"I don't know if I want to, Celestia. I know that we always act like children around eachother, but really? A pillow fight? What are we, five?" he complained.
"Maybe," she shrugged, still standing in from of her bed. "But you haven't had one before, and I remember loving them as a filly."
"This would be a new low in adulthood," he deadpanned. His companion cocked an eyebrow. "Even for us," he added as an afterthought.
"You act like that's a bad thing," the princess teased. "And besides, I like doing things like this with you. I only ever act like a child around Luna, and she's been so busy. This kind of fun is nice."
"I get it, but Tia, really? Again, I'm not going to be doing this."
"You had no problems playing all the other games with me."
"That was different. This involves projectiles. I don't know if I trust you with pillows.
"What's the matter, Discord?" she taunted, keeping her voice low and suspenseful. "Afraid to lose?"
"No!" he answered far too quickly. It was technically the truth. He was afraid; just not of her wining. He was terrified, however, of his best friend laughing and running around and looking absolutely stunning while he was struggling with all of these new feelings. He liked her. He really liked her.
He was just scared of the idea in general.
"Can we do something else?" he pleaded. She bit her lip, pretending to consider, before braining him in the head with a cushion. He blinked. "Tia, did you just hit me with a - " Another one went flying. Discord grinned, a wicked gleam in his eyes and all fear banished. "Oh, it's on." He snapped his fingers and the pillows launched at Celestia. She zapped them away, hurling more off her bed. He turned them to confetti. Celestia morphed them back.
On and on they battled, laughing like maniacs and struggling to land the most hits. Finally, sensing a weakness in his friend's defense, Discord tackled Celestia, the sun princess giggling even as she fell down onto her mattress.
"That was the most fun I've had in years!" she beamed, eyes sparkling. He grinned back, but then stopped once he realized how close he was to the alicorn. In all his years, Discord had never been this close to her; now he was flush against the mare, on top of a bed in her room while completely alone. His heart kicked into overdrive.
"Are you feeling all right?" asked the beautiful pony. She was incredible. There was no other way to think about her. Why was Tia so amazing? It was a mystery for sure, but also just a fact of life. He felt way too wired around her right now.
The lord of chaos couldn't take it any longer. He leaned down, without thinking, and kissed her. A real kiss, on the lips, with emotion tied into it. Instantly it seemed like everything was kicked into high definition, and all he could think about was Tia Tia Tia. She seemed to be everywhere and he liked it way too much.
This couldn't be love after all, could it? It felt way too fast. He couldn't think straight.
Yet no, there was no other explanation. Whenever he was around the pony, he felt . . . lighter, somehow. Happier. Discord was in love with Celestia, and to his surprise, he didn't feel any regret in kissing her.
What exactly was he waiting for?
So he stopped resisting. Discord kissed Celestia, but this time it was full force, with nothing held back. He wound around her and ran a claw through her mane. The white alicorn hardly complained, closing her eyes and melding her mouth to his with vigor. Warmth practically burst from his chest as he cradled the mare, his first friend, his newest friend, his best friend. But after a while, she pulled away, violet eyes wide with shock (but also with love, he liked to think).
"Wha . . . what . . ." she stuttered for a second, all flushed cheeks and innocence. Discord absentmindedly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. if possible, the princess blushed a deeper shade of red, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips even though she tried to suppress it. Then the mare shook her dainty head. "That was a . . . a mistake?" she said, meaning to say it as a statement but phrasing it as a question. When Discord only hummed, she looked at him, expecting to hear agreement. There was a moment of silence before Discord responded.
"Celestia," he started, gazing at her softly. Then he rephrased his words. "Tia, if that was a mistake, it was the best mistake I ever made." The alicorn cocked her head in the way he loved, then began to grin. Hope, and definitely something more than friendship, shone in her face after a minute. She burrowed her muzzle into his shoulder.
"I don't think I can agree more."
Wow. I'm a sad, sappy person. How do I even write stuff like this with a straight face? Anyways, I hope you liked my first fic for these two; I ship them so much it's pathetic, really. Please review and like as you wish; I love the positive feedback and support!
Don't worry, fans of my other stories. I have far from abandoned them. They will be updated soon, for sure. I just really wanted to write this, for some reason.
Also, if you hadn't noticed, I write for pretty much every series that I like, so if you have a fandom you want a story for, be sure to say something. Chances are I've seen it and will do something for you.
Bye for now, everybody!