I hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks to those who've been kindly writing reviews. I feel like so far, Discord's been getting off pretty light, but he's about to enter a world of pain.
Tuesday, 11.10pm – The Skyhorse Bar
Discord was still staring after Fluttershy as she and Rarity weaved off unsteadily through the crowd.
"This really burns me up!" Spike said somewhere around knee level.
"What does?" Asked the Draconequus, in vacant tones.
"Just because you're 'the most powerful being in Equestria!'" The little Dragon mimicked Glamour's husky voice.
"Just what are you implying?" Growled the God of Chaos.
Just at that moment they were accosted by Twilight who almost tackled them to the floor. She hit them so hard she knocked Discord's glass right out of his claw, orange and red cocktail sloshing stickily onto the dance floor.
"Spike! Discord!" She said excitedly "We're going to the most amazing party, wanna come?"
Discord frowned, conjuring up a small fluffy creature not unlike Angel Bunny and using it to sponge off the cocktail she'd spilled over him "Party, what party?" He growled as the bunny squealed in protest.
"Only the birthday party for the captain of the Cloudsdale Wingers!" She turned and waved a hoof towards a group of three Pegasus stallions who were chatting animatedly to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie "They've invited us!"
Spike scratched his head "Who in the hoof are the Cloudsdale Wingers, Twilight?"
"I have no idea, but isn't he dreamy?" She sighed.
"Who?!"
"Jet Stream!" She waved like crazy to a white Pegasus with a black mane. He waved back, looking almost as drunk as she was "Isn't he amazing?"
"He's not really my type." Said Discord.
"Twilight," Said Spike "Don't you think we'd better all stick together?"
Twilight didn't even hear him "I don't know why I've never hung out with sports ponies before, they're so much fun! Just between us," She said in a stage whisper that was so loud it was probably heard by the next two tables as well, "I think he likes me, but shhhh!" She held a hoof in front of her mouth "Don't say anything!"
He raised an eyebrow and slapped a huge strip of tape across his mouth "Mmmphffmmmfbphe!"
"What?" She said.
"Owww!" He ripped the tape off, taking his beard with it "I said 'Your secret is safe with me'." He said, reattaching it to his chin.
She gave him a manic grin "Woohoo! Best night ever! Tell the girls I said bye!"
"Oh great! Somepony else who completely ignores me!" Wailed Spike as Twilight ran over to re-join Pinkie and Dash "Discord! Can't you stop her?"
"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"
"Cut it out!" The Dragon smacked him on the arm "We can't let them go off to this party on their own!"
"Well she's not alone, she's with Pinkie and Dashie," Discord considered this for a moment, squinting drunkenly at his talons "And of course I could stop them easily, but they won't thank me for it – in fact technically I think it would be pony-napping! She is a Princess after all. How do you think she'll react if I use my magic to keep her away from Mr Dreamy?" He spoke in Twilight's voice and fluttered his eyelashes, turning his face into a replica of hers for a moment.
"Well, why not? She treats me like a child!" Spike fumed "You don't get how annoying it is. At least ponies take you seriously!"
"Don't remind me!" The Chaos God lamented "It seems to happen, no matter what I do!"
"I mean it's not fair, you've got mares falling all over you and you're not even interested in them!"
"I hardly think one over-enthusiastic female constitutes a fan club."
"And what about those two jerks who were bothering the girls?" The Dragon continued angrily "They were terrified and you didn't even have to lift a claw!"
Discord frowned "Yes well, I'm an obscenely-powerful deity. They ought to be afraid. Very afraid!"
"So how do you think I feel, not being able to stick up for Rar – I mean, my friends?" The Dragon said hotly "Half the time they don't even notice I'm here!"
Discord sighed. He could see he wasn't going to get away with not having this heart-to-heart. He snapped his talons and they reappeared back at the table with two more drinks in their claws.
"Soooo," He asked "This problem you have – just a wild guess – but is it in some way related to your unswerving yet wholly unrealistic devotion to Rarity?"
"Go ahead, laugh it up," Spike took a long unhappy draft of his Mare-quila Sunrise "Just because you've never felt that way about anyone!"
"Ding ding! Correct!" The Chaos God grinned "I'd never let myself get soattached to anypony. Know why? Because I'm not a sucker!"
"It's not like I have a choice!" The Dragon bit back angrily "You don't even know what it's like to be in love!"
"Right again!" The Draconequus drummed his claws impatiently on the edge of the table and added under his breath "But I have a feeling you're about to tell me all about it."
"I just can't help it," Spike took a deep breath, obviously even an unsympathetic listener was better than none "I think about her all the time. I want to be with her all the time and I get, like, chills up my spine and butterflies in my stomach whenever I do see her! I'd do anything for her, even if it makes me unhappy because her happiness is much more important than mine! But I don't know how I'm ever going to impress her when she doesn't even take me seriously –"
About two sentences into the lovelorn dragon's monologue, Discord's talons stopped drumming and he froze.
To his horror, he understood perfectly where Spike was coming from because … because…
"Because he is describing exactly how you feel about Fluttershy – admit it!"
A ghostly miniature Discord dressed as a prosecuting lawyer appeared on the table in front of him, pointing an accusatory talon "The way you've changed yourself to please her! The way you want to be with her all the time! The way you risked your life to save her!"
"Oh come on," Discord rallied, trying to mount a defence "I did that for the good of everypony!"
"Ah-ah-ah! You can't lie to me, I'm you – remember? We both know you were only really thinking about her. You even brought five extra guests here with you because you just couldn't bear to disappoint her!"
"I was trying to be a good friend!" He said under his breath. Luckily, Spike seemed to be quite heavily under the influence after just two cocktails. He was still waxing lyrical about Rarity and hadn't noticed Discord being cross-examined by himself.
"Friends – hah!" The demon counsel for the prosecution said scornfully "Step out of the little domicile of delusion you've built for yourself! You've never done anything even a bit unselfish for anypony else in your whole existence until you met her, she makes you want to be a better Draconequus!"
"So?" Discord protested "That's what friends do, bring out the best in each other. It doesn't mean I'm in love with her!"
"You're right," The mini-prosecutor shrugged "Why would you be? She's nothing special."
"You take that back!" Discord growled "She's the most wonderful pony who ever lived!"
"You see? You can't bear to hear her criticised! And what about the pink misty thing that keeps happening when you're together? The bluebirds singing? Stop fooling yourself!"
Discord stared at his smaller self "It's true, that has been happening a lot," He said to himself slowly "I mean, almost every time I see her… but that doesn't mean I'm in love with her… does it?" He gave the tiny lawyer a pleading look.
"Oh look at me, I'm Discord and I like living in denial so much, I've bought a condo here." The other him said sarcastically "Come on, wake up! I put it to you that you're hopelessly in love with her! Bewitched! Besotted! Bedazzled! – "
"Alright! Alight – yes! I admit it!" He hissed, trying to stop the tirade "But what do you suggest I do about it?"
The prosecutor shrugged "Beats me – after all, I'm you. Sucker!" Then he disappeared in a puff of magic.
Discord sat there for a moment, gazing down at his claws
The huge amount of alcohol he'd consumed seemed to have dissolved his illusions along with his synapses, allowing him to see things clearly for the first time in his long existence "It's true, I am in love with her!" He said in a shocked voice "How can I not have seen it before? I'm crazy about her!"
"Hello boys!" Suddenly Rarity appeared at the side of the table and both of them jumped as if they'd been stung.
"You two look guilty, not talking about me I hope!" She teased "Where are the others?"
"Oh sorry Rarity!" Spike stammered "They went off to a party with some sports stars, Twilight said to tell you –"
"Oh no, I can't believe I missed that!" She cried, then brightened up "No wait a minute I see Applejack over there! Yoo-hoo - AJ!"
Before she could teeter off, the Draconequus caught her by the foreleg "Where's Fluttershy? I thought she was with you?"
"Oh shorry darling, she went off to look for Rainbow and the others,"
He sat up "She went off on her own?"
"She thought they went to the club downstairs." Rarity waved a hoof vaguely "I'm sure she'll be back when she realises they're not there." Then she leapt back onto the dance floor to throw her forelegs around Applejack.
"Fluttershy went off on her own? After all those cocktails?" Immediately he felt uneasy "I have to make sure she's alright." Then drunken logic kicked in. "And once I find her I'm going to tell her how I feel. We'll be alone, it's the perfect opportunity!"
To his way of thinking, it was the only course of action. Why wouldn't he tell her?
In many ways Discord was highly intelligent but for him, self-denial and self-doubt were usually things that happened to somepony else.
"I've got to tell her! Right now!" He said out loud, shocking Spike out of his gloomy meditation on doomed romance.
"Tell who? What?!"
The Chaos God didn't answer him but quickly swallowed the contents of his glass, slammed it down on the table, snapped his fingers and vanished.
After a few beats he reappeared "Oh, and for what it's worth, you should confess to Rarity how you feel; have faith in yourself; climb every mountain; faint heart never won fair maiden. You know; all that jazz!"
Spike goggled at him "But what if she rejects me? What if it ruins our friendship?"
"It's what I would do!" He told the astonished dragon. Then after a moment's thought he gulped down the rest of Spike's drink for good measure and vanished again.
"But what if she – " Spike asked and then realised he was talking to empty air "Discord, that's terrible advice!"
Wednesday 8.10pm – The Equestria Summit Gala, Las Pegasus Equine
"Oh my gawsh honey, that dress really is gawjus!" The brassy blue unicorn with the orange mane gushed.
"Thank you," Fluttershy said "It's from my friend's boutique in Ponyville – "
"Ponyville?!" The mare's friend – a green earth pony – interrupted loudly "But it's so chic, I never knew you could get such classy gear out in the sticks!"
Fluttershy smiled weakly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rarity's murderous stare "Actually Rarity's very fashion forward, she also has a boutique in Manehatten – "
"Oh ignore her, honey," The blue unicorn said, giving her friend a pointed look "Her husband may be a diplomat but she ain't got no manners!"
The green mare didn't seem at all embarrassed "But sweetie you should get Cheesie to take you next time he goes to Manehatten!"
Fluttershy frowned as memory flashed a fin "Cheesie?"
"My hubby," The blue unicorn said proudly "He's the Mayor of Fillydelphia, Big Cheese. I'm the Lady Mayoress; Cream Cheese. Have you met him?"
"I … think so," Fluttershy said uneasily, remembering Candy Canes draping herself over the Mayor. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to admit to meeting him.
"Honey you sound like I feel," Cream Cheese gave a long suffering sigh "This is the first time I've gotten him to take me on one of these things in years and I ain't hardly seen him the whole time!"
"Oh… what a shame," Fluttershy was suddenly distracted as she heard Twilight shouting behind her and turned to see the Princess of Friendship talking to Discord. Neither of them looked happy.
Cream Cheese was still speaking "I says to him 'Cheesie, I ain't missing out on Las Pegasus. Either you take me and the boys this time, or else!' Of course he knew I meant business!"
"Yes, I'm sure." Fluttershy tried to keep her attention on what the blue unicorn was saying but her gaze kept being dragged back to Discord and Twilight. They looked like they were having some sort of argument. "Oh no! What can have happened? I hope I didn't do the wrong thing by asking him to go and get her. She just looked so bored!"
"Of course I ain't seen my boys either but hey, they're young!" Cream Cheese waved a hoof "Let 'em have their fun!"
"That's nice." Fluttershy said, as she watched Twilight turn pale
"But Cheesie? Of course he's had 'meetings' to go to every night," Cream Cheese gave a cynical smile "Ha! I said to him 'Meetings my flank! I'll bet you've been to every casino and gin joint in town!'"
"Oh, surely not?" Fluttershy said distractedly. Behind them she could see Twilight grab hold of the Draconequus. There was the sound of breaking glass.
Cream Cheese gave a long suffering sigh "Oh don't get me wrawng, I know my hubby likes a game'a dice and I know he's a barfly but I told him straight "If I ever catch you even looking at another mare, I'll kick you out so fast your hooves'll catch on fire." He knows not to cross me, not like most stallions who think they can use every summit and embassy ball as an opportunity to cut loose!"
Fluttershy's brow drew down in a worried frown and she clasped her hooves together as she watched Discord turn pale and bolt out of the room.
"Oh no!" She said.
"Oh honey I'm sorry," Said Cream Cheese, misinterpreting the cause of her distress "I got a big mouth! You're the mare who's married to the Lord of Chaos, aintcha?"
That brought Fluttershy back into the conversation with a crash "Where did you hear that?!" She said in astonishment.
"Oh… you two ain't married?" Cream Cheese and her friend gave each other a significant look "Seein' you together I just thought… well my advice is get him to put a ring on it tootsuite, honey. Ya gotta start as ya mean to go on with stallions!" Then she broke into a beaming smile "Speakin' of which here they are; the party crashers! Where ya been ya two good-for-nuthins?"
Fluttershy turned to see two unicorns, one blue and one pale yellow, trotting over to meet them
"Honey, these are my boys," Said Cream Cheese proudly "Hard Cheese and Blue Cheese. Boys this is Flittersky – "
"I'm really sorry," Fluttershy stammered "It's lovely to meet you but, uh, I have to go!" And she turned and left the room at a gallop.
"Tsk, poor thing – she went awful pale!" Cream Cheese clucked sympathetically "Do ya think it was somethin' I said?"
Wednesday 8.45pm – The Las Pegasus Equine
For the second time that day, Twilight came to feeling disorientated and dizzy. She looked around. From what she could tell she was in another plush function room but it was empty and dark, not currently in use. To her right there was a huge set of glass doors that opened onto a balcony. Through them, she could see the night sky and the city below.
The glowing sphere had vanished as if it had never been.
Twilight winced "O-o-oh, what in Equestria was that thing?"
"It was a flashback, brought about by a time sphere if you really must know."
She turned. In the half dark she could see Discord pushing himself up on his claws.
"What," She demanded "Is a time sphere?"
"Just what it sounds like," The Draconequus said testily "A ball of time. I'm afraid I've been storing it up, quite involuntarily I might add."
"I thought you were attacking me!"
"If I were attacking you, you wouldn't be standing there still in your own shape!" He grumbled "It's just a magical temporal reflux that incidentally gives you a little reprise of all we forgot last night, as you saw."
"Oh yes, last night!" She said "I remember now, some of it anyway. I was just so wasted! What was I thinking to get so drunk? And you – "
They locked eyes with each other as the significance of what they had just seen hit them both.
Her jaw dropped "You!" She gasped "What you said! In that bar!"
"Oh, you mean what I told Spike about confessing to Rarity?" He gave a nervous grin "Not the best advice in the cold light of day I'll admit." But Twilight wasn't listening.
"Of course," She said to herself "That's why you wanted us all to come here!"
"Oh Twilight," He scoffed unconvincingly "You shouldn't pay any heed to all that nonsense, that was just the booze talking – "
"That's why you wanted us all to get so drunk last night!"
"I didn't pour the cocktails down your throat!" He snapped "As I recall, you didn't need any encouragement from me!"
"This explains the marriage certificate," She shook her head "This explains everything!"
"You – " He pulled up short "Wait, how do you know about the marriage certificate?"
"I found it when I went to your room, looking for you!" She said.
Discord's eyes narrowed with rage "Thought you'd make yourself at home, did you?"
"It's a good thing I did!" Twilight cried, so angry she'd stopped feeling guilty about prying "You manipulated Fluttershy into getting married because you think you're in love with her!"
"I am in love with her!" He burst out, stung into honesty.
"If you love her, why did you trick her into marrying you when she was drunk? That's not love!" Twilight threw the words at him like daggers "You wanted her and you got her the only way you know: by deception! You fixed things so you could trap her and then you made her keep it a secret!"
Discord couldn't think what to say, he was too busy panicking "What if she convinces Fluttershy I did trick her?" He thought "What if it poisons things between us so completely we're not even friends anymore? What if she never wants to see me again?!"
The thought of life without her inspired in him a fear that was almost overwhelming. In all his long existence he had rarely, if ever, been afraid of anything. Right now he was terrified. The terror increased exponentially, getting stronger and stronger, until suddenly it stuck.
Suddenly Wrathful Discord wasn't some voice in his head, some suppressed part of his psyche.
Suddenly he was Wrathful Discord.
His eyes burned in the darkness and he drew himself up to his full height, lion paw and eagle claw balling into fists, crackling with power.
"This doesn't concern you, Princess!" He snarled, teeth bared.
"Oh yes it does!" The Alicorn faced him, her horn now surrounded by a glittering corona of energy.
As they squared up to each other, magic swirling around them, a third voice from the doorway cried "Discord, stop!"