//------------------------------// // Became // Story: Discordant Feelings // by cartuneslover19 //------------------------------// NOTE: For anyone who's seen the movie 'Tangled', particularly that "I See the Light" scene...ENJOY! ;) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fluttershy gracefully flapped her wings as she flew over the streets of Ponyville, her scarf paying her warmth as she breathed in the chilly air. Snow still covered most of the town, but ponies were able to carry on with their bright, sunny morning. How much longer would this snow remain, the yellow pegasus wondered timidly as she gently landed in front of a familiar house. The library. Pain filled Fluttershy's heart as she gazed through one of the tree's windows, only for it to become even heavier as she spotted a familiar purple dragon idly fingering at his duster, too depressed to continue his chores. Not that he needed to clean up the library, he had been doing that almost a dozen times after breaking into Mayor Mare's office and fixing her shelves for the last three... Fluttershy lowered her head and turned away, knowing better than to come in and soothe the poor baby dragon, that would just make things a little worse as soon as the name of a certain unicorn came out of her quiet mouth. Pink hair covering part of her face, the butter-colored pony decided to stroll over to Sweet Apple Acres where she would meet up with Applejack and together they would meet the others in an hour or so. As she walked down the familiar path toward the farm- CRASH! The shy pegasus let out a squeak of surprise before wheeling her head toward wherever that horrifying sound came from. It seemed to have echoed from part of the field as the sound became even louder, her shaking hooves carrying her fearfully through trees. It almost sounded like an animal going mad! As soon as she came into an opening within the field, she realized it wasn't really an animal. But Rainbow Dash sure was mad. Fluttershy's sea green eyes could only widen in utter shock as the rainbow-maned pegasus sent another kick to a poor, defenseless tree, a sickening crack emerging from it as apples rained upon the angered pony. The yellow pegasus took a few steps back, feeling ever so frightened that Rainbow Dash was acting so violently upon Applejack's trees. Where was the apple pony herself? Had she not heard the noise, or was she not around the farm at this time? Finally, gulping, Fluttershy spoke out in a quiet tone. "R-rainbow Dash?" Hind legs immediately stopping inches away from a tree that was suddenly spared, the cyan pegasus turned her head and spotted her friend emerging from the shadows. Biting her lip and trying to cover her shameful expression, Rainbow Dash hunched her legs and gazed at the ground. "Hey, Fluttershy," she muttered. The yellow pegasus slowly walked over to her, gazing at her with concern and sympathy. "Are you...?" Her voice trailed off, knowing too well what the answer would be. The other pegasus didn't even look up at her, eyes still glued to the ground. "A week..." Fluttershy blinked in confusion. "What?" "A week," Rainbow Dash repeated, only a bit louder, her voice growing more firm and angry. Before Fluttershy knew it, Rainbow Dash extended her wings and flapped a few feet off the ground. The yellow pegasus shook in fear as she regarded the expression of hate, anguish, and fury that was on her friend's face. "A whole week!" Rainbow Dash shouted loud enough for all of Equestria to hear. "One week and we're nowhere close to finding that dumb Discord or our friend!" With that said, she swooped down, and in one swift motion, sent a hard kick to a tree, making it shake before more apples rained to the ground. But Rainbow Dash kept going, anger and shame taking over her body as she vented out on her apple-loving friend's field. "We've searched aimlessly!" She cried as she kicked another tree and more apples fell. "I even had the Wonderbolts help us and what good did that do?" Another kick. "Nothing!" Kick. "We've gotten nothing!" More apples hit the ground. "R-r-rainbow dash..." Fluttershy gulped. "What in tarnation is going on here?" She turned just in time to see Applejack rush onto the scene, witnessing her fast-flying friend attacking her trees. "Rainbow Dash!" She cried. "Cut that out!" But the cyan pegasus didn't even hear her as she continued kicking and muttering, more apples covering the ground. Now if this were a happier situation, Applejack would be pleased by the unexpected work, but considering the past week, apples were the last thing on her mind as she whipped out a rope and threw it at Rainbow Dash. It wrapped around her leg and before the pegasus could kick another tree, she was jerked down, landing face-first on the ground. Rainbow Dash groaned as she spat out grass from her mouth, her wings flapping slowly as Fluttershy and Applejack approached her. "Rainbow Dash," Applejack said in a soft yet firm tone as she stood before her. "Look, I understand what you're going through. Trust me..." She sighed sadly, her green eyes glistening. "A whole lot of us are." She turned to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus slowly stepped toward the other pegasus. "I miss Twilight, too," she spoke quietly, "and yes, I'm quite upset that it's been a week and we've found no traces of either her or Discord." "And we understand how angry you are, Rainbow Dash," Applejack added, "and I can't blame you for kicking my trees off their roots." The cyan pegasus' eyes remained on the ground, feeling even more ashamed of herself. Both for feeling like a failure to find Twilight, and for taking so much frustration on Applejack's fields. "But we can't give up," Applejack said, "I mean, that's probably what Discord wants us to do. To give up, well...you remember the first time Discord set his chaos on our town." Rainbow Dash slowly moved her eyes to meet the apple pony's. They seemed to be glistening with tears as her bottom lip quivered, remembering that day all too well. "I wasn't a very loyal pegasus..." she murmured. "I ditched you guys when you needed me the most." "It wasn't your fault!" Fluttershy cried softly. "Discord influenced you!" "Still, I could have fought it," Rainboe Dash whimpered, lifting herself off from the ground. "I could have been stronger...and I should be even stronger now...now that Twilight has been pony-napped..." She lowered her head. "I feel like such a failure..." "Now hold on there, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed. "You ain't failed nothing! You as loyal as any pony I know, and knowing how truly loyal you are to Twilight this minute, why, that's your element right there!" Rainbow Dash looked up, remembering she left her element at her house as did the others. She wanted to smile, but it seemed painful at the moment. "If Twilight were here right now," Applejack continued, "she'd tell you not to give up." "Yes," Fluttershy added meekly, "she'd tell you to keep going. Remember how she encouraged you during the Best Flyer Competition?" "And look how you made that there Sonic Rainbow," Applejack smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right..." Rainbow Dash scuffled a hoof on the ground. She smiled sheepishly at Applejack. "Hey, sorry about your trees, Applejack." "Aw, think nothing of it," the apple pony assured her before turning to see the apples that had scattered on the ground. "I think you just saved us a few days of work." And they all shared a laugh, something they really needed after what just occurred moments ago. Rainbow Dash allowed herself to let go, though her heart still pained and her mind was clogged with fear, she let the moment of their friendship help her keep strong no matter what. "How's about you help me gather these here apples and we can meet up with the others?" Applejack suggested as she began picking them up. "Perhaps the mayor can give us some map for some place we haven't been to yet." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash nodded, "I'll scope the skies, seeing if Discord will be up there. And when I see him...POW!" She jammed a hoof into the air. "That'll teach him never to mess with my friends!" "I'm sure Twilight would appreciate that," Applejack nodded. _ Princess Celestia resumed her pacing in the throne room while her sister stood in place, having rolled up the message she just received and held it close to her chest as if she was cherishing it. They had just discussed about the plan concerning if they ever did find Discord. What exactly were they to plan? Not all the elements were with them, and Twilight, being the most powerful, might be corrupted under the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony's influence by now and therefore would refuse to give her power instantly. "There just has to be some way..." Celestia muttered, stopping in her tracks for the third time today. "I know there's something we can use, I can feel it." She turned to her sister. "Can you?" Princess Luna continued holding the message close to her. "A type of power courses through us and through many other sources if I know correctly," she pondered. "Though I can't say what these 'sources' are, they are strong...perhaps strong enough to aid the remaining elements." She smiled sheepishly. "Isn't it just pathetic that we have some sort of magic that we're unaware of?" Her sister shared her smile, though it was painful. "Whatever it is, we must look into it..." The smile quickly faded as she gazed at the stained glass window before them. The one featuring Discord's defeat by the Elements of Harmony. Their eyes fell on the stained-glass image of a certain crown-wearing unicorn whose power connected the other elements that imprisoned Discord once more. Celestia felt her eyes glisten as she turned away, fear and pain flowing through her as she hoped that despite a week having past they would find dear Twilight Sparkle soon. Poor Twilight...perhaps lost, unprotected for maybe Discord might have taken away her magic, trapped and frightened and near losing hope... Discord will pay for such a deed... _ Twilight gazed at herself in the mirror, from her bare hooves to her neatly-brushed mane. She greatly admired her beauty, but not as much as she cherished her intellectual. But at this moment, she truly treasured what she had with Discord. What did they have, exactly? A bond perhaps? To call themselves friends...the unicorn wasn't sure. She never heard Discord refer to her as his friend or buddy, but always stated how she was a true Element of Friendship. They were always by each other's side, talking, laughing, throwing snowballs at each other...that's what friends do, right? Since the beginning, after imprisoning him in stone a second time, Twilight had made it her goal to fix Discord, and she did it. However, along with that completed goal was becoming his friend, true to word and heart, and always there for him no matter what, even protect him if needed. Well, seems that goal would be post-poned... As Twilight turned away from her mirror and walked over to her desk, she gently dug a hoof into a drawer and pulled out a glistening crown. The Element of Magic and Friendship. She hadn't thought about it in a while, just storing it away as she got to know the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony more. She no longer feared he would take it away from her, seeing as he had such a soft, tender side and was actually considerate. She couldn't imagine what could have been if she didn't follow herself and went after to find him...what could have been if she remained under the eyes of her friends, preparing her element. Could have been... Yes, she often asked herself questions regarding Discord's second imprisonment, showering herself with regret and tears. She begged herself to see differently and hoped for something...and looked where she was now. She was happy, of course. Proud? Yes. Homesick? Definitely. How long has it been since she left Ponyville, leaving that note for the others to read? A week or more than? How long did she intend to stay here hidden with Discord? Certainly cannot be a month, no, that would really panic everyone, and Equestria, and maybe the whole world, would literally be flipped upside down to find her. Still, as Twilight slipped out of her chambers to walk down the halls, she knew she had to remain here for a little bit. She needed to protect him. Twilight smiled to herself as she floated her schedule book next to her along with a quill. "Brush hair, check!" She said happily. "Meet Discord outside at ten." As soon as she came out of the house of chaos, she checked that one off as well. Seeing as there were only two items on her list, she placed her book aside as soon as she saw Discord's back to her. "Well, it is exactly ten o' clock," she stated with a proud smile as she gracefully walked over to him. "According to the bulleted items on my schedule, I signed myself to see what else we can do together." Discord raised an eyebrow at her, though he smiled. "You're really putting a strain on my chaos with those organization skills, you know that?" Twilight gave a cheeky grin as she flipped her mane. "Well, your chaos could use some organizing." "Me? Organizing?" Discord asked in a playful mock tone. "My dear, the way we all see it, my chaos is my organization." He smirked down at her. "Just like your organization is your chaos." He smirked, his single tooth gleaming. "Please don't remind me of my chaos..." She muttered, eyes dropping in annoyance. "I have to admit, that doll scene will never escape my mind," he chuckled, "and I must say, I did like the interesting hairstyle you managed to create." He immediately stood back, smirking, as Twilight threw him a warning glare. After that, they continued walking down the snow-covered path, simply enjoying each other's company. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of strolling, Discord halted her with his lion paw as his mismatched eyes scanned ahead of them. "Twilight, over there..." He said in a surprised yet giddy tone. "Is that...is that what I think it is?" His red pupils widened as his smile brightened. The unicorn raised an eyebrow at him before looking in his direction. All she could see was a tree with snow-covered flowers beneath it. Familiar blue flowers. Twilight simply shrugged this, knowing well she needed to keep away while Discord could handle its effects. "What, the plants?" The Draconequus held his giddy expression as he slithered over to the patch of flowers. "It is! Poison joke!" He cried out gleefully as he knelt before them. "I love this stuff!" "Wait, you love it?" Twilight exclaimed. She shouldn't have been surprised, Discord was, afterall, a lover of pranks. Discord turned to her, his smile resuming as he laid over the poison joke. "Twilight, I made it." Twilight felt the blood suddenly rise as her jaw fell in utter disbelief. "You what?" She exclaimed. "I thought for sure Celestia would have ordered every last plant hunted down and destroyed while I was a statue!" He laughed. He lowered his mismatched hands and plucked one before sniffing it. "Ah, this takes me back..." "This takes me back..." Twilight muttered to herself, taking a few steps away and recalling her first experience with the dangerous plant. Discord sensed her discomfort and smirked, twirling the flower in his fingers. "What's wrong, Twilight Sparkle?" He asked as he got to his feet. "Afraid to..." He held it in front of her nose. "...have the joke on you?" Twilight tensed a bit as she took a few more steps back, however, he kept moving further, teasing her so. "Get that away from me!" The unicorn cried angrily. "Come on, it smells good!" He chuckled. "Come on, smell it!" "Ew, no!" Twilight cried before she turned and galloped off. However, Discord continued chase, going after her as he guffawed. Twilight gritted her teeth in annoyance as he continued pursuing her. She wished she still had those wings... _ "I'm still wondering what the hay that was yesterday," Soarin' stated as he and the other Wonderbolts grouped together on the outskirts of Cloudsdale, preparing for another run across the skies. Yesterday they had resumed their sky search for any trace of the unusual, then suddenly, an impact that took them by surprise nearly drove them off their wings. And they had even been blinded by the sight of what looked like glitter in a violet aura. It was beautiful, but very unusual. Spitfire wanted to follow the trail, assuming it had been left by that mischievous character Discord, but the bright line had immediately faded before they could carry speed and pursue where exactly it came from. "I'm sure all of Equestria is wondering the same thing," Spitfire stated before unfolding her wings, indicating it was time to move. As they all took air, both she and Soarin' resumed their discussion. "It looked like it took on for so many miles." "Only to just disappear without a trace in seconds flat!" Soarin' exclaimed. "Look, I know that was totally unexpected, but it was pretty cool." He pondered for a moment, wings flapping. "Though to compare that to Rainbow Dash's signature move...well, I don't want to call favorites here." "Well, it sure did sparkle a lot," Spitfire murmured as she resumed leading the group. _ "Pipsqueak, have you awaken?" Called Zecora as she opened the door to one of the guest rooms of Fancypants' home. "The other three have come out of their beds if I'm not mistaken." After yesterday's situation back in Manehatten, Fancypants and Zecora decided that if Pipsqueak and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to keep up with running and searching for the unicorn, then they were to be kept with chaperones while doing so. Fancypants had asked Applejack if her sister and her friends could stay under his roof in Canterlot until the whole Discord conflict was resolved and the apple farmer obliged to the offer, seeing as she herself would be much too busy, being the Element of Honesty and all. The four children jumped at the offer, excited to be staying under some rich famous Canterlot pony's roof while still permitted to continue their 'daring rescue', and each was given a room. The zebra spotted the little colt hunched over something on the writing desk in his room. Taking quiet steps toward him, she looked over his shoulder and saw twigs and colorful paper on his desk. "What project is this done at such an hour?" Zecroa asked quietly. "For I see such determination upon you with hooves of such power." Pipsqueak looked up and saw her. He smiled sheepishly. "Just working on something...something that maybe could help us find Twilight sooner." Hearing that name, the zebra couldn't be more surprised that this little project would concern her. Out of the four kids, Pipsqueak was the most desperate to find her. He was a such a brave colt, Zecora gave him that. "And done!" Pipsqueak exclaimed before lifting it up to the light. The zebra peered at it. It almost looked like twigs wrapped around each other to make some sort of halo, and on top of it, wrapped in different colors yet holding more of a lightish/pinkish effect, was a jagged oval shape that almost resembled a lumpy star. "You like it?" He beamed. "It's my own Element of Magic." Zecora nearly choked on her own words as she heard this. "Element of Magic, you say?" She repeated with surprise. "Have you made this..." She winced a bit. "...in hopes of driving Discord's powers away?" "I'm not sure..." Pipsqueak confessed quietly, gazing down at his little crown. "I thought that maybe because the other ponies are an element short, I'd make a crown to replace the one Discord took away along with..." His voice trailed off, bottom lip quivering. The zebra immediately drew him close, a hoof over his head. "It is touching of you to take this into regard," she smiled down at him. "For, dear Pip, you have a caring heart." Pipsqueak smiled and blushed as Zecora took the crown from him and placed it upon his head. He beamed proudly as it attached so nicely upon his mane. "A supporter to the Element of Magic, I see," Zecora nodded, "a true supporter to our harmony." _ Twilight felt her face heat up with absolute fear as the poison joke hung behind her ear like a fashion decoration. She turned to Discord, who snickered. Though he assured her many times there would be no effect on her because he placed magic over it, she knew what a sneaky creature he was. Still, as Twilight looked over herself in the river before them..she thought it looked quite beautiful on her. After all that running, yelling, and laughing, the two decided to take a break and lay beside the river that was now flowing freely thanks to some ice-skating over the thick sheets. Twilight laid on her stomach, hooves tucked underneath her while Discord laid on his back, arms folded behind his head and his legs crossed. "Kind of a boring morning, don't you think?" He asked idly, gazing at the sky. "Seems peaceful enough," Twilight rolled her eyes, still regarding the poison joke against her ear. "Maybe I should just drop the sun and put it in the ocean," Discord said nonchalantly, "That would make some nice glowing effect, eh?" Twilight's eyes widened in shock before wheeling toward him. "Absolutely not!" She cried. "That would be completely against the time of day, the cycle of nature, the-" "Oh, listen to you," He rolled his eyes. "it's not like I'd make it last night forever. Night can sometimes be so boring!" Suddenly, before he knew it, Twilight jumped on him, her hooves pressed against his chest as her purple eyes gazed into his red and yellow ones. Though Discord was incredibly surprised by the action, he kept his cool. His wings went a little stiff when her raging face pressed against his, her teeth gritting angrily at him. "If you have forgotten," she boomed loudly, "I adore the night, just as I adore the day! And if you're too absent-minded to realize the true beauty of those two halves of one whole, then consider yourself ignorant!" Discord's eyes widened a bit as she continued glaring at him, her belly pressing against his in total rage. Finally, he just lowered his eyes and regarded her with half a smile. Twilight suddenly realized what she was doing and her eyes widened before pulling away. "Wow..." She gasped. "That was so not like me." She sat back atop his chest and placed a hoof to her head. "Why did I do that?" "Well..." Discord played with his fingers. "I didn't exactly tell you the truth about washing away all of the poison joke's effect..." He smiled innocently when she was regarded him with widened eyes. "Hey, all it gave you was the ability to easily get angered over simple things, not like it made your mane stick up or your horn drop off." The unicorn immediately pressed her muzzle against his nose, her rage returning due to the effect of the poison joke on her ear. "Not. Funny." She growled. "Let me fix that," he said, eyes not breaking away from angry ones as he reached an eagle talon behind her ear and pointed at the flower. In one quick motion, a small surge of light beamed from his talon and the plant glowed upon her ear before the light dispersed into sparks that showered upon the unicorn. Twilight immediately regained herself, shaking her head before realizing what she had done again. "Oh, wow..." She rubbed her cheek. Shifting her eyes, she saw the the poison joke still remained intact...but it sparkled as well. "Should have added that to the poison joke as well, huh?" Discord chuckled, leaning on folded arms behind his back as he watched Twilight sit atop his chest in confusion. "At least I didn't need any herbs and remedies," she muttered as she hopped off him. While she busied herself running a hoof down her mane, Discord took this chance to gaze up at the sky. Smirking, he snapped his fingers. _ CRASH! "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried. The cyan pegasus quickly pulled away from the tree she just crashed into before shaking her head, trying to rid the stars she was seeing. Finally gaining consciousness, she glared around her, seeing as daytime had become nighttime. "Who the hay turned off the sun?" She demanded, wings flapping angrily before lowering down to meet up with the other four. "Discord, who else?" Applejack muttered angrily, glaring at the night sky. She could only imagine how furious the princesses were at the moment that their enemy had actually played around with the time period. "Oh, as beautiful a night it is..." Rarity sighed, shaking her head. "This is most unpleasant! Now everypony is confused!" "Oh, not me!" Pinkie Pie giggled as she bounced around, performing some kind of dance. "It never bothers me whether it's day or night, because I like it either way!" "Will you quit fooling around?" Rainbow Dash shouted at her, making her dancing come to a complete halt. "Night time makes it more difficult for us to resume our search! And considering it's been a week, that doesn't make this any better!" "Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Applejack assured her. "We've hit the night before, we can handle looking through this time again." "Y-you think..." Fluttershy gulped, shaking a bit. "You think Discord might have taken away the sun to...to scare Twilight more?" The others looked at each other apprehensively. Discord had shifted the sun and moon before, the day he was released the first time, and that was usually out of playfulness and mischief. But what if this was just another way to frighten their magical unicorn friend? Who was probably left with no magic at all, imprisoned under that monster with her horn gone and the rays of sunshine being the only source of happiness she could hold in her dire state? Maybe Discord took away the sun to scare her with the darkness of night! Although the moon sure was bright, but perhaps wherever Twilight was the moonlight could never be seen by, what the others feared, eyes filled with tears of despair while Discord mocked her as he fooled around in his own chaos. They wouldn't be surprised...why else had he even brought out snow? To freeze her and scare her, that was just cruel right there! "Come on!" Rainbow Dash urged as her wings continued flapping. "Let's find this Discord so I can pound him! Big dummy trying to scare us while scaring our friend! Oh, he's going to pay for that!" _ "This is not fun at all..." Soarin' lifted his goggles just a bit and looked over at Spitfire. After the shocking witness of the sun suddenly being replaced by the moon, just as they were heading east, the Wonderbolts had nearly crashed into one another when the light had suddenly gone out and replaced by night. That would have been an embarrassing moment if anypony had seen that, especially Rainbow Dash. Now they had landed upon some open field with thick snow, deep in discussion about the sudden change of time period and what to do next; they've all decided that in a few minutes they would continue on hoof and call it an 'early night'. If this night had not been created by chaos, they would have enjoyed it, having done many Wonderbolt races and shows at night, especially in Canterlot. Thinking of Canterlot, Soarin' couldn't help but wonder how Twilight Sparkle's parents were doing, same went for the princesses, who cherished the unicorn like friend and family. He could only assume Discord had lowered the sun and raised the moon so abruptly just to scare them all. And to strike even more fear and hopelessness into that poor unicorn girl. He hoped Twilight, despite being trapped and held prisoner by the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, could still count on him and the rest of the ponies to find and save her. _ "Wow!" Sweetie Belle's eyes widened as she gazed at the full moon thats light blanketed over Equestria. "The moon is even prettier when raised so early!" "It's the same moon every night!" Scootaloo scolded her as they walked down the streets of Canterlot, having to keep close by the older ponies. "Discord raised the moon?" Pipsqueak questioned, wearing his lucky 'Element of Magic' crown. "Why would he do that?" "To be unable to see, I suppose," Fancypants pondered as he gazed around the slight darkness placed upon Canterlot. "Oh, dear, Princess Luna must be furious." "Does that mean we get to skip bedtime for a whole day and night?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly. "Goodness, no!" Upper Crust exclaimed. "Whether the moon is up for a whole week, that does not mean you shall miss out on your slumber!" "You think Twilight is able to get some sleep?" Sweetie Belle blurted out. Thats statement immediately caused a few hooves to stop in place, especially Pipsqueak. The little colt felt himself shake as he gazed up at his crown. "I don't think so..." Upper Crust growled, digging her hooves into the ground, fear yet determination plastered on her face. "She must be too scared to even consider sleep." _ Though Twilight tried to show she was still angry with Discord for bringing up the moon and messing up the time periods and perhaps having caused havoc for her friends back in Ponyville as well as anywhere else, the Draconequus could just sense her thrill of excitement and pleasure as he steered the boat he conjured up and took to the river, Twilight sitting on the other side, eyes completely on the water. The poison joke glittered from her ear as she continued watching the river before her eyes rose to the sky where the stars sparkled. "You going to thank me for bringing up your desired nighttime?" Discord asked playfully as he rested against the end of the boat and watched her. "I didn't desire this!" She retorted hotly, glaring at him. But he could tell from the look in her eyes how thankful and impressed she was. Silence reigned between them as the boat floated along the river, Twilight's eyes glued to the sky while Discord's eyes were glued on her. Finally, he leaned up and reached a paw over and placed it on her shoulder. When she turned to him in slight surprise, he just smiled at her before motioning with an eagle talon toward the distance. Twilight turned, and though her eyes were straining for a good look, she was able to make out a glow that was approaching them. Before she knew it, that glow turned out to be fireflies, ever so bright and illuminant in the moonlight as they flew around their boat. The unicorn could no longer hide her mask of displeasure as an astounded smile spread across her lips as she gazed around her, seeing such beautiful light. Discord watched the little show as well, before turning to Twilight, who was just so absorbed in the moment. Her tail swished back and forth happily as she stood on the end of the boat, reaching a hoof out to a few fireflies before letting out a small giggle and finally returning to her seat. Discord smiled, feeling so caught in the moment as well. And so caught up in how happy and pleased Twilight was. He made her laugh and smile, showed her the true chaos in her order, and even shared so many new experiences together. He never thought he would share such moments with anyone, feeling he would forever remain alone because he was the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, a creature of pranks and dastardly deeds. Back then, he would have laughed at the thought of having someone by his side to enjoy what he could conjure. Now here he was, with someone so special who especially saw how special he truly was as well. Seeing the fireflies around them, out here in this boat, under the glorious moonlight, and no sense that either was going to fall asleep anytime soon...Discord knew this was his chance. Gazing at Twilight's backside, he smiled warmly. "I never thought I'd ever have anything like this," he said, causing Twilight to break out of her trance and turn to him. The unicorn raised a curious eyebrow at him as he continued on. "I kept thinking..." He spoke softly. "That because of who I am...I never thought I'd have what I deemed so completely impossible..." He smiled at her, gazing into her eyes. Twilight didn't break away from his gaze, though she still seemed mildly confused. "What's that?" She asked softly. Discord just smiled. "A best friend." Twilight's eyes widened at his confession, her jaw dropping ever so slightly. She was just too stunned for words. Friend...not just his friend...his best friend. It all felt so magical, like a trashed dream rising up again and ridding the damages...to be replaced by the true reality that every word, every honest word out of his mouth, was what she wished for so long. It felt like everything fell into place as Twilight slowly took his sincere words in. Her heart beat rapidly, her eyes glistened with suddenly being so overwhelmed...and the fact that what she had been, perhaps, waiting for so long finally became reality... She didn't say anything, but her eyes told Discord so much. And so did her smile that took the brightness away from both the moonlight and the fireflies. What could have been...finally became. _