"Fluttershy...this is boring," Discord said, his hoof bouncing up and down on the ground.
She reached over to pat his knee. "I know it's not fun waiting," she said. "But just think—in a couple of minutes, we'll be seated, and we can order some tasty Mexicoltian food...all you have to do is be patient."
"Still," he said. "You'd think that they'd hurry it up a little for three princesses."
Applejack, sitting on his other side, sighed and gave him a look. "It ain't right to abuse our roles just to get seated more quickly than anyone else," she said. She made a small gesture towards the crowd of ponies waiting with them.
They were in the first, relatively small room in the building, towards the back of the line. Fluttershy lifted her head, quickly spotting a rainbow mane that was slowly approaching the front of the line.
"Well...it was very nice of you to invite us on a double date," she said to Applejack.
Applejack shrugged. "It was mostly Rainbow's idea...since she got enough coupons to discount four meals." She gave Discord a sharp look. "I just hope that this will go better than the date at a Neightalian restaurant I've heard about..."
Discord whistled an innocent tune, looking away. "If that had happened, not saying it did, I wasn't the only one to blame," he said. "In this situation that never happened, I wasn't the only jerk—just the only one who got punished."
Fluttershy's lips twisted into a wavy line, not sure whether she should laugh or frown. "But," he continued. "That doesn't really change the fact that I'm both hungry and bored."
His dragon leg began bouncing up and down. Fluttershy reached over and gave his claw a gentle squeeze. "Why don't you find something to entertain yourself?" she said. "Something that's creative, not destructive."
"Like what?" he asked. "I'm not in the mood to paint anything. I'm too hungry to summon or create anything interesting. And it's not like there's anything to do in this room..." He gestured around the small room, showing that there was nothing but standing ponies, the tail end of a line, and the couch he had created...but then, he suddenly froze, his eyes and fingers landing on something in the far corner.
"Hold on a mo'," he said. "That looks like it could be something, alright..." He stood up and walked towards whatever he had spotted, the crowd of ponies parting to make room for him.
Fluttershy watched him go, sitting up a little to see what it was he had found. It looked like a plastic or glass box, filled with several plastic containers—though a few faded images on the front made it harder to see inside. The only clear thing was the writing above the metal coin slot and dispenser—blue words that read '1 Bit = 4 Prizes'.
Discord circled around the machine that was set up against the wall, occasionally giving it a tap with his finger and making the contents inside shift around. "Hmm," he said. "Not exactly thrilling, but...I think this will do for entertainment!"
He pulled open a part of his coat as though it were a pocket, reached inside...and pulled out a wad of Monopoly money. He shoved it back inside, then opened another pocket in his coat...this one holding a handful of small gems.
He frowned and continued to pat himself up and down, searching for something. Finally, with a sigh, he turned and walked back towards Fluttershy. "Could I borrow a couple of bits?" he asked sheepishly. "I left the infinite wallet in my other coat."
"But...other coat...what?" Applejack said, her brow furrowing in confusion.
But Fluttershy, who was a little more used to Discord's oddities, reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a handful of bits. He smiled gratefully at her, turning and once again heading towards the machine.
"...he'll probably get bored in a couple of seconds," Applejack said. "It's just foals' toys, and...usually pretty cheap ones."
Fluttershy smiled. "Maybe," she said. "But he does tend to enjoy the little things a lot of the time."
She watched as Discord slid the first bit into the slot. He began to turn the knob, and with a rattling sound, four plastic balls with colored plastic lids rolled out, one at a time. He scooped up the four of them and floated back over to Fluttershy, flopping next to her.
"Wanna help me open these?" he asked, holding them out to her.
"Sure," she said, accepting one with a pink lid. The plastic was opaque enough that it was difficult to tell what was inside them, though the shadowy shapes made it clear there was something there.
She grasped the lid by the edge and slowly peeled it away. After a few moments of struggle, it came off with a pop!, and she could shake the prize out onto her hoof.
Out fluttered a small piece of paper. "Hmm," she said, grabbing it and turning it over. There was a pattern of three balloons—Pinkie's cutie mark—on it. "I think this is a rub-on tattoo," she said leaning over to show it to Discord.
He was twirling a stretchy, purple rubber toy in his claw. "Huh," he said. "I guess there's a whole smorgasbord of stuff in there." He stopped twirling the toy enough for her to see that it had a star-like symbol at the end—probably meant to be some sort of 'wand'.
With a flick of his claw, the toy shot downwards and stuck to the side of another one of the containers. Another flick, and the toy sent it straight up into the air...in an arc that made it land right into her hooves.
"Thank you," she said with a smile. She gripped it, and this time, was able to open it a little more easily. Inside was another stretchy rubber toy, this one a light blue.
"Oh hey, we match now!" Discord said. He pulled a plastic pendant with a fake star gem out of his next capsule. She smiled and nodded as he began to put on the necklace...but found his head was too big for the chain to fit through. With a defeated sigh, he wrapped it around one of his horns, letting the fake gem dangle near the top.
She smiled and giggled again. "That was...a little fun," she said with a smile.
"You think so, too?" he asked. "I mean, it's not high-quality entertainment I would spend hours doing, but it's enough for...the next few minutes, at least!"
He stood up and took her hoof, jingling the few bits he still had in his paw. "Care to join in this time?"
"Mmm..." She took a few moments to think. Glancing back into the restaurant proper, she saw that Rainbow was now at the front of the line and talking to the cashier. "Well...maybe we have time for one or two," she said.
"Alright!" he cheered, pulling her onto her hooves and over to the machine. He slid a bit into the slot, then stepped back, bowing as he gestured to the ready machine. "After you, milady."
"Why, thank you," she said. She gave the knob a small twist, and a single plastic container fell out. Another twist, and a second container fell out. She stepped to the side a bit to open them.
Both of them contained more rub-on tattoos (Twilight's cutie mark and her own, this time). Discord approached the machine, narrowing his eyes and scanning it up and down, perhaps trying to figure out which containers would fall out.
"Hey guys," Rainbow said, weaving her way back into the lobby. "So, we're on the list and everything, but they said it would take a few minutes for them to get a table ready for us..." She paused at the couch, blinking and staring at Fluttershy and Discord. "What are you two doing?"
"Well, it was either this, be bored, or start redecorating to keep myself entertained," Discord said, cranking the knob another notch. A container tumbled out. "And no one appreciates my redecorating, trust me!"
"No one likes your restorations if you don't have permission," Fluttershy corrected, watching as he picked up the capsule and gave it a shake, holding it up to his ear. "Some ponies really enjoy your creativity when it's not...you know, a surprise."
"True," he admitted, popping open the container. "Oh! It's a ring." He shook it out and into his palm, holding it out to her. Indeed, it was a small, pink plastic ring, with a few streaks of glitter around its rim.
"It's pretty," she said with a smile.
"You think so?" he asked. He paused, looking down at the ring, then back up at her...and a mischievous grin spread across his muzzle.
"Oh, no," she heard Rainbow mutter upon seeing that smile.
"Fluttershy, Princess of Kindness," Discord said, dropping to one knee and holding the plastic ring out to her. "Would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Fluttershy Chaos?"
She gasped and smiled, her hoof flying up to her mouth. She had to bite her lip before she ended up bursting into giggles. "Yes...yes, I do! Or I will!"
She held her hoof out to him. With a smile, he expanded the ring into a hoofband, sliding it onto her hoof. "And with this ring, I do declare us engaged."
"For better or for worse," she said, smiling at him. A few ponies who had been watching cheered and applauded.
"Uuuugh," Rainbow groaned. "You two are already married! Do you always have to act like such dorks in public?"
"Absolutely," Discord said, twirling the knob of the machine again. "If by 'dorks' you mean 'absolutely amazing beings you have no hope of competing with'." Another plastic capsule fell out, and he quickly opened it.
"Aw, just a plastic doll thing," he said, handing it to Fluttershy. "I'm going to keep going until I get a matching ring...is that okay, my fiance?"
"I think that sounds very sweet," she said with a giggle, looking at the little plastic doll. It was some sort of small cat with a bow around its neck.
He stuck another bit into the slot, twisting the knob quickly. Four containers fell out. Three had rub-on tattoos, and the fourth had another pedant, this one with a pink heart gem. "Drat," he said, stretching the chain enough that he could put it around Fluttershy's neck.
She glanced at his palm, just as he held the single bit there between his fingers. "Last one," he said. "The moment of truth...if we don't get this, we might not even have the time to try again!"
Slowly, almost dramatically, he moved the bit towards the coin slot. He pushed it in with a single finger, then began to slowly turn the knob, one notch at a time. One by one, plastic containers fell out.
He picked them up and opened them one at a time. The first was a rub-on tattoo ("This is getting ridiculous"), the second was another plastic doll of a black-and-white cat ("Well...I guess you can have a matching pair"), and the third was...
Another plastic ring, this one a royal blue. "Finally!" he declared. He was about to slip it onto his claw...but then paused, holding it out to Fluttershy.
"Ah, okay," she said with a smile and a nod. She gingerly took the ring from him, then held up his eagle claw and gently slid the ring onto his middle finger. He beamed, his tail wagging slightly as he watched her.
"...dorks," Rainbow said, shaking her head.
"Rainbow Dash, party of four?" an unfamiliar mare's voice said. All four of them looked up. "Your table is ready."
Applejack stood up, the couch melting into a puddle that seeped into the floor with a wave of Discord's paw. He gathered up all the prizes he and Fluttershy had gotten, including the last unopened container, and followed the mare into the restaurant along with the others.
"Here are your menus," she said after guiding them to a table near a window. "I'll give you a bit of time to figure out what you want."
The four of them looked over the menus. "Hmm," Discord said. "I can't decide between the cheesy rice fajita and the triple-pepper one."
"I think I'll get the cheesy rice one, if you want to steal a few bites from me," Fluttershy said.
"That's quite kind of you...my fiance," he purred, wriggling his eyebrows. Rainbow groaned, and Applejack quickly stifled a chuckle.
The four of them chatted and laughed together, time flying by as they ordered and received their food.
They chatted happily as they each polished off their plates. Fluttershy had to admit that the food was quite tasty...she and Discord might have to come back here on their own, sometime.
Just as they were finishing up, and discussing whether dessert was worth it, a stallion approached their table—one wearing a suit and tie, looking very important. "Uh oh, here's the manager," Applejack said teasingly. "You haven't done anything, have you, Discord?"
He gasped dramatically, his paw flying to his chest. "I'm shocked at this accusation," he said. "You wound me. Why, my behavior has been perfect all evening!" A halo appeared above his head, and Fluttershy had to stifle a giggle.
Before he could continue boasting about his innocence, the manager had arrived at their table. "So!" he declared. "I heard that there was a proposal in the lobby!"
"Oh my Celestia," Applejack muttered. Rainbow snorted, but pressed her muzzle into her hooves to stifle her laughter.
"May I ask who the happy couple is?" the manager continued, ignoring their reaction.
"T-that'd be us," Discord said, raising his claw and looking like he was biting back a few snickers himself.
"Well! As congratulations, we'd like to offer you one of our signature desserts, on the house." A waiter arrived, as though on cue, and placed a plate of churros between them. "Please enjoy!"
And with that, the four of them were left alone again. Discord and Rainbow held back until they were out of earshot...and then began laughing, falling forward and leaning against the table.
"This doesn't seem right," Applejack said. "I mean...lying to them, and taking a dessert?"
"Not technically lying," Discord pointed out, gasping and lifting himself back to a sitting position. "He asked who the 'happy couple' was, and we are very happy." He threw an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. "And now, we have a dessert and can be happy and very full."
"It still seems dishonest," Fluttershy said. "You know as well as I do that he was asking who had proposed."
"Again, I technically did!" he pointed out. "And it was extremely romantic. What, does already being married mean it doesn't count?"
Rainbow and Applejack gave him deadpan stares. "Yes, that's what it means," Applejack said bluntly.
Discord pouted, grabbing the plate of churros and holding it close to him. "You're all being so mean," he said, his eyes growing wide and shiny. "I'm not sharing any of my churros with you if you keep ganging up on me."
"Hey, I didn't say anything," Rainbow said, her hoof sneaking towards the plate of desserts. Before she could reach it, he held a stop sign up to block her way.
"Ah-ah," he said, clicking his tongue. "I think the 'happy couple' deserves to have some, first!" He turned to Fluttershy...and then dropped onto one knee, holding the plate out to her.
"Oh, Celestia," Rainbow groaned, hiding her face in her hooves.
"Oh Fluttershy, my love, my fiance, my wife...would you do me the honor of sharing a dessert with me?" he asked.
She hesitated for a moment. While she still felt this was dishonest...it didn't hurt anyone taking the dessert already given to them, did it? And so, she slowly nodded, taking one of the cinnamon-sugar-covered treats.
Discord set the plate back on the table and grabbed a churro of his own, tapping it against hers. "Cheers!" They both took a bite of their dessert at the same time.
"Mmm!" she said, smiling. "This is...really good, actually." She continued nibbling on her treat, nudging the plate towards Rainbow and Applejack. Rainbow quickly grabbed one, while Applejack paused for a long while before finally taking one.
They ate their churros quietly for a few moments. Fluttershy spent the time considering what the right thing to do was, and an idea started to take shape in her mind just as Discord was grabbing a second churro.
"...we should leave a tip," she said finally. "I mean, a big one. One that costs about what the churros would have."
"Alright, alright," he said. "I suppose the service has been pretty good tonight...I might have been thinking of leaving a diamond in the water glass, anyway."
"Oh, okay," she said with a nod, taking another bite of her churro. "That sounds..." Reasonable wasn't exactly the right word for this, was it? "...Fair," she said. "More than fair."
"Why, thank you, thank you," he said with a smile. He kept chomping away at his churro. "And...since we're at the end of our meal..." He held up his paw, and the last unopened plastic container rolled out into his palm.
"Oh my Celestia, you dork," Rainbow said.
"I can still take dessert away from you!" he teasingly threatened, before turning his attention back to Fluttershy. "Now...together?"
"Together," she said with a nod, reaching out and grabbing part of the lid.
With a little tugging from the both of them, it popped open. Yet another rub-on tattoo fluttered out and towards the table, but Discord quickly snatched it with his claw.
"I wonder whose cutie mark it'll be this time," he said, shaking it. "I do hope that it's yours." With that said, he flipped it over...and paused, blankly staring at it.
"What is it?" Fluttershy asked, leaning over to peer at it, as well. She stared blankly at it for a few moments, too...and then giggled, grinning.
"What? What's this one?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
Discord chuckled and flipped it over. This tattoo wasn't a cutie mark, surprisingly enough. Instead, it was two tattoos—two halves of a sparkling pink heart, with half an inch of space between them...and the words 'Together Forever' in red on the whole thing.
Applejack smiled, chuckling. "You sure you didn't create that yourself?" she asked teasingly.
"I think I would remember," he said, looking at the tattoo again and smiling. "We should try this on tomorrow, Fluttershy!"
"Oh, that would be fun," she said. "Maybe we could try on all the others, too?" He nodded, grabbing another churro and handing it to her.
"I can't believe you got that by chance," Rainbow said with a chuckle, shaking her head. "You lucky dork."
"Don't I know it..." Discord said, wrapping an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. She smiled and nestled into his side. He gave her a quick nuzzle on the forehead, then tucked the tattoo away and grabbed another churro.
"So, Fluttershy," he said. "What's the perfect way for two 'dorks' to have a second wedding?" He began chuckling, and the others joined in. The good mood remained as they polished off the dessert plate.