The ballroom of Canterlot castle had already filled up with hundreds of ponies for the Hearts and Hooves Day ball. While not the most elegant of affairs, it allowed ponies that couldn’t afford reservations at higher end establishments to enjoy the holiday with their special somepony’ in Canterlot.
That is, it would have been, if not for the pair of ponies who were lashing out near the stage at the pony in charge of the night’s entertainment, and the pony who was supposed to perform a musical number.
“How did this happen?” Blueblood shouted. “Where is the band?”
Trixie huffed. “You should feel honored that The Great and Powerful Trixie has even bothered to grace you with her presence for such a meager event.”
“Me… meager!” Blueblood snarled. “Well, it is, but I’m in charge, so it isn’t meager, you useless peasant.” As Trixie’s jaw hit the floor, the prince turned his attention to one of the servants. “What happened to the regular orchestra anyways?”
The poor stallion gulped. “Um… I don’t know. I thought they were booked, but then they happen to be performing elsewhere.”
The prince facehooved. “Well, what are we supposed to do then?”
“Um, hello!” Trixie waved, suddenly more interested in performing. “Trixie wouldn’t be as amazing if she didn’t have any musical talent.”
Blueblood glared at the mare. “You stay out of this!”
Trixie’s eyes burst into flames. “Trixie will not stay silent! Trixie will say that you are the most airheaded pony Trixie has ever met!”
Blueblood’s eyes narrowed. “ How dare you to address nobility like that?!”
By that point, every guest in the ballroom had turned to the shouting pair who had been going at it for over twenty minutes. Some had even started to get up and leave.
“Um, excuse me,” a shaggy light brown unicorn interrupted.
“What?!” the pair of bickering ponies shouted at the unlucky stallion.
“Oh, um,” the pony said after he took a step back, “I just thought I’d bring out some drinks for you two,” he quickly placed two cups and a pitcher of purple liquid on the table. “Please, by all means, carry on.” With that, he zipped off, and made his way to the vacent room adjacent.
Once inside, the brown unicorn was enveloped in a white light, and where once a unicorn stood, now stood a mischievous draconequus.
“Hehe,” Discord chuckled as he snapped his fingers, and the wall became transparent, but only from his side. From which, it allowed him a view of the arrogant prince and the headstrong magician still screaming at each other as they levitated their glasses. “For what this day has been, this will be a good change of pace for what it’s worth.”
“What will be worth it?” a soft voice asked behind him.
With a snap of his fingers, Discord broke the one-way spell and flashed a halo over his head, and turned to greet Fluttershy.
“Oh, Fluttershy,” he chuckled nervously, “what are… What are you doing here?”
“Well,” she answered, “I was about to ask you the same thing. When I saw you put that pitcher out there, and… um, I mean,” she sighed. “I thought I’d give you the benefit of the doubt, and ask if you did something before I... I…” She stuttered, not sure what she would have done.
It had been a long evening for her, even though it should have been the best night ever. Though, whenever she thought things would go bad, something would always come in to save the day, and now she had a feeling she knew why. “Well, so, what are you doing?”
Discord hesitated, but then said, “Well… Okay, so I did do something, but it was for a good cause.”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What did you do?”
“Oh,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers. The wall became transparent again, only this time, it showed Trixie and Blueblood drinking from the cups he had given them. “I just gave them some love potion.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh dear,” the pegasus moaned as the hearts appeared in Blueblood’s eyes, remembering the incident with Big Mac and Cheerilee that almost broke her own heart.
“No,” Discord said with a pause before he looked back at the new unicorn pair. “I made sure it will only make them like each other, not be smitten and speaking such nonsensical babble. Honestly, I’m the lord of chaos, not torture.”
“Well,” Fluttershy said as she looked at the unicorn pair, no longer shouting at each other as the potion took effect. “I don’t know. I mean, making two ponies fall in love with each other…” she paused as her head lowered. She then snapped her head up. “Although, when have you cared about ponies getting together?”
Discord turned his head to hide his bright red blush. “Well… I… I just wanted to get those two to stop shouting, and… Well, I… I…” He was lost for words and had nothing clever to say.
Nothing about this situation would have made sense to anyone. If he lied and said he slipped them a love potion and realized he got the recipe wrong, he might have been able to make it seem like he was trying to spread some chaos. However, the opportunity was long gone, and he didn’t want to ruin his friend’s day.
“Well,” he said as he glanced towards where big Mac was waiting. “I… alright,” he said as he turned to her, holding up a finger, “but you tell anyone, I’ll turn you into an acorn, and feed you to the squirrels.”
Fluttershy flinched, but regained her composure as she nodded.
“Well, okay, so the thing is,” he took in a deep breath. “Those two were going to ruin your date by being such a big pain, and I didn’t want that so I thought, maybe if I got them together your day, along with everypony else’s, might not be ruined.”
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see how Fluttershy would react. “Wait,” she said, “you did all this, just so my night with Big Mac wouldn’t be ruined?”
Discord puckered his lips and began to tap his foot. “Well, yes,” he scratched the back of his head, “and those two were bickering, and look at them now.” They looked at the pair, as they ceased to shout and were now looking deep into each other’s eyes, lovestruck.
“Maybe now I can get some sleep without that oaf shouting at some servants while in Canterlot or that Trixie making a fool in whatever town she happens to be in that I happen to pop into from annoying me.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Well,” she flew up to her friend, “thank you, but I must be going.” She planted a friendly kiss on his cheek, causing the rest of his face to redden. “You take care, and happy hearts and hooves day.”
She then flew off, leaving Discord sighing heavily. He kept the one way wall going. His attention no longer centered on the prince and magician, but on his best friend heading back to her lifetime crush as he smiled at her return.
“You know,” another familiar voice said as he snapped the window closed, “some might consider this an invasion of privacy.”
“Oh, Tia,” Discord said as he turned to the princess, “I’m just keeping this otherwise calm restaurant in order.”
Celestia raised any eyebrow. “And the fact that the mare you’re head over hooves for is on a date with her life-long crush had nothing to do with it?.”
Discord crossed his arms, and sighed. “Well…” he put a hand on his head. “I don’t get it,” he stomped, “I mean, this isn't like me. You know, I wanted to turn that hick of a stallion into a hunk of cheese and take his place. Yet… Gah!” He moaned. “Oh what in Celestia's name is wrong with me?”
Celestia giggled. “Firstly, I don’t think it’s wise to swear in my name.” She walked up towards him. “Second, this is nothing to be ashamed of, Discord, it just showed me how far you’ve come along.”
He raised an eyebrow, but allowed Celestia to go on without interruption.
“Yes,” she said as she brought the one-way wall up again on the pair they were talking about. “You could have ruined their date, made him late, and have her come running into your arms when she needed it.”
“You know, this is making me very tempted to do so.”
Celestia grinned, then lowered her smile and sighed. “Yet, you chose to do the right thing, the mature thing, something that shows just how much you love her.”
Discord looked straight at the princess. “And what is that, my dear?”
“You put her needs ahead of your own. That,” she said as she placed a hoof over Discord’s shoulder, “is the true meaning of love.”
Discord stared at her. “You got that from Cadence, didn’t you?”
“Actually,” Celestia blushed as she lowered her hoof, “that was from personal experience.” Her gaze drifted, and before she could do anything about it, Discord caught her staring at another pair serval tables over where a certain lavender alicorn was laughing happily with her date.
“Oh,” Discord mused, “is that jealousy I sense, Celestia? It really doesn’t suit you, that’s more my thing.”
Celestia moaned and closed her eyes as she lowered the spell. “It hurts,” she then looked up with a smile as a tear rolled down, “but at the same time, you know that they are happy.”
Discord nodded and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, right then,” he said, “say, how about you and me…go do something? I mean, we don’t have to make a date of it, but, at the same time we could… I don’t know, get out of here. Maybe hit the peak of Canterlot Mountain and just… Get away from all these mushy gushy ponies.”
Celestia nodded, as she wiped away another tear. “I’d like that, she said as she lit up her horn, “how about we think of a way to make sure my nephew stays in love with This mare when that love potion you gave them wears off.” Before they teleported out, leaving all the happy couples behind, she said, “I’ve never seen him laid before."