The giant balloon cages filled with critters descended towards the ground as Discord gently tugged the attached vines towards himself. Once they touched the ground, they all combined into one large tunnel, which draconequus yanked the front of it towards the back door of Fluttershy's little cottage. He received a tap on the shoulder from Fluttershy once the connection was complete.
“Um, before you let them out Discord, do you think we could put Sunbeam up in my room?” Fluttershy asked him sweetly as she hovered in the air. “It's just that I don't want her to startle them again. Not that she's scary or anything-”
“No no, I get it Fluttershy.” Discord replied, grabbing her by the hoof as he grabbed one of the flowers on the side of her cottage and twisted it. The wall swung open on non-existent hinges as he pulled her inside, the mare looking about in confusion for only a moment before he shut the makeshift “door” behind him. “After today, I'll make sure not to bring her by anymore. Shame she can't handle a bit of social interaction.”
“Discord it's not like that all.” Fluttershy offered as they stepped towards the living room. “What she really needs is-”
Discord noticed the broken stair post in the living room. Adjacent from the splintered wood, there was an abundance of bird seed across the floor in the shape of hoof marks, tracking towards the window.
“Oh no…” Discord uttered, noticing the broken stair post in the living room. Adjacent from the splintered wood, there was an abundance of bird seed across the floor in the shape of hoof marks, tracking towards the window. “No no no no no!” Discord scuttled to the broken window, looking out into Fluttershy's yard, his eyes pried open in fear.
“Discord, what's wrong?” Fluttershy asked, trotting into the room upon hearing his shouts of anguish. She gasped at the sight of her broken stair rail, and then looked towards the window, where Discord stood. “Oh no; don't tell me Sunbeam escaped.” Discord hadn't the sense to reply to her, and could only grab his horn and antler in panic. Fluttershy swooped up to him and put a comforting hoof to his shoulder. “Don't worry; as soon as we get the animals back inside, we'll all go look for her, okay?”
Fluttershy flew away from Discord towards the backdoor, while he continued to fret over the situation. While Fluttershy was concerned for the safety of what she understood was his pet, she hadn't the faintest idea of how severe the situation was. Discord knew that because of his negligence, the head of Equestria had escaped and was nowhere to be found at the moment. His uneasiness escalated to the point that he accidentally broke the extensions from his head in half, prompting them to grow back within the instant. His thoughts were interrupted by the scurry of animals paws against the floor, as Fluttershy and the others reentered the living room. With a snap of his claw, the windows were repaired and the floor was cleaned of the mess Celestia had made earlier.
“Hey Discord!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed excitedly. “Can’t you just, I dunno, teleport Sunbeam back here? You've done it to us a couple times, even when we didn't want you to.”
Relief washed over Discord as he chuckled in delight. “Oh yeah, good idea. Not sure why I didn't think of that in the first place.” He said as he snapped his talons.
A few seconds passed, yet no visible change occurred. No magical pop in the air, no appearance of Celestia in front of him and the others. Nothing. Perplexed, Discord looked at his talon and snapped again. Once more, no change in the room occurred. He rapidly snapped his talons in succession, while Fluttershy and the others exchanged nervous glances between themselves.
“Uh, Discord?” Applejack asked hesitantly. “You having some performance issues there?”
“I don't know what's going on!” Discord exclaimed, shaking his claw of the cramp that had built up from so much snapping. “This shouldn't be happening, unless there's some kind of magical interference I-!” At the utterance of the phrase, Discords thoughts returned to a few hours ago, when he and Celestia first appeared at the meadow where Fluttershy and the others had gathered to let their pets play. Before they had introduced themselves, he remembered that he had put a very specific enchantment on the princess to conceal her identity from the others. “Oh no...”
“What oh no?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Why would Sunbeam have magical interference?”
As the six ladies stared at him in confusion, he wracked his brain for something he could tell them. Some kind of fib that would explain why his powers weren't working without telling them what was going on. But with the stress of knowing Celestia was still out there by herself and not of sound mind, his creativity in lies were experiencing interference of their own.
“Discord? What are you not telling us?” Twilight asked, her voice lowering into a more accusing tone.
Discord winced. He had taken too long to think up a lie, and they knew he was hiding something now. Any attempt he made to dissuade their concerns would be met with suspicion. Even so, the fact that his magic had been rendered useless in the situation, he realized he was going to need help in the matter. He had to confess to them.
Discord gulped apprehensively before he spoke.
“Well, ha ha, funny story actually, you’re- you girls are gonna love this! You know, be-because it’s so funny!” Discord stammered. He laughed nervously as each pony stared down at him with confusion or suspicion on their faces. He tugged at the gray hairs of his neck as his forehead built up a thin layer of sweat, fighting with himself to get it over with.
“I, uh... heh heh, you see… Sunbeam's actually Princess Celestia, hypnotized into thinking she's a dog, and with an appearance concealment spell on her to make you and those who don't know she's the princess look like a dog.” Six dismayed gasps filled the air. The mares jaws dropped at the revelation of the truth. “And I'm guessing that concealment spell is causing some sort of interference with me snapping her back here. Isn't that silly?”
The room was deathly silent, save for the scarcely audible sound of Twilight breathing heavily through her nose. A noticeable vein throbbed in her forehead as she stared the draconequus down.
“You. Did. WHAT!?” She screamed, as her wings flared, pushing Pinkie Pie and Rarity aside. In the blink of an eye, the lavender alicorn was off of her hooves and rocketing through the air towards him.
“Mother.” Was all Discord could voice, before he was pounded into the floor with agonizing force by the weight of the alicorn. With her hooves around his collarbone, poor Discord's head rocked back and forth as an infuriated Twilight Sparkle shook him with all her physical might.
“Why did you turn the princess into a dog, you misshapen chimera!?”
“Because she asked me to!” Discord pleaded in between shakes. “She was having a bad day, and wanted some time away from being a princess!”
“As a DOG!? Why couldn't she just take a normal vacation and go get a massage or go to the beach or something!?”
“I don't know! She said she wanted to forget that she was a pony, I didn't want to make her feel bad! So I just gave her what she wanted!”
“I don't believe you!”
“I do!” Fluttershy interjected as she flew up and threw herself in between the two, shielding Discord from Twilight's vicious assault. “Discord's not the meanie he used to be! If you would spend even half the time I do with him, you'd know he's been helping others out so much more instead of causing trouble.” Twilight's teeth gnashed in anger as she stared between the two in front of her.
“I think I'm on Shy's side with this one.” Applejack spoke out as she trotted towards them. “Think about it: even if he were up to something rotten like his past self, this sorta scheme just don't make sense. I mean, what would he gain from pulling something like this, 'sides a cheap laugh? And 'sides, he's telling us all this now 'cause he knows something bad just happened and he's out of options. Ain't that right?” She asked as she looked towards Discord. The draconequus nodded solemnly, and Applejack nudged Twilight with her hoof. “Let him go, sugarcube; he ain't trying to hurt nopony.”
Twilight's right eye twitched, and her cheeks puffed up in aggravation. A rising growl emanated from her throat, before she teleported from everypony's view.
The entire cottage shook as the sound of an explosion and crash of Earth matter being eradicated rang out. After those in the living room regained their stance, Twilight reappeared breathing out in satisfaction.
“Okay, I'm good.” She said softly, before glaring at Discord. “But we still have a problem on our hooves: Princess Celestia is lost, and still thinks she's a dog. From what I saw in the cottage, she could cause all sorts of trouble without somepony keeping her in check. We need find her ASAP. Anypony have any ideas?”
The mares looked up towards the ceiling, or touched their hoof to their chin as they racked their thoughts. Applejack's concentration was interrupted by the jingling of a collar behind them, and turned to see her own dog Winona scratching her ear in a frenzy. As the little brown dog stood to her paws and shook herself, an elated smirk appeared on Applejack's face.
“Think I got an idea, y'all.” the farmer said, prompting the others to turn towards her inquisitively.
The troop stepped outside of Fluttershy's cottage, with Winona and Applejack leading the way. Looking to the side, Fluttershy took notice of the remains of a blackened tree trunk, broken to pieces and smoldering where it stood. Twilight Sparkle saw Fluttershy, and saw her looking at the tree. The alicorn turned her eyes away and whistled innocently, as Applejack and Winona neared up to a small pile of bird seed in the shape of a hoof.
“Hey girl, you wanna play with Sunbeam again?” Applejack asked her pet exuberantly. Winona ceased panting for a moment while her ears perked up at the mention of the name. She evidently remembered her new friend from earlier that day, and the idea of seeing her again excited her greatly. “Okay, we'll go play with her! But ya gotta find her for us first, okay?” Applejack pointed to the birdseed as she spoke, and Winona dipped her nose into the feed.
“Do you really think that will work?” Rarity asked as she watched Winona sniffing keenly for the scent she had acquired from the princess.
“It's as good a shot as any. Winona's tracked all sorts of stuff. One time Apple Bloom got stuck in a ditch out in the farm, and didn't come home when dinner was ready. We gave Winona her blanket, and she found her quicker than jackrabbit on hot coals.” The dog huffed through her nose, before turning to the right and scampering down the pavement with her nose close to the ground. “Lookit that! I think she's got her locked down.” Applejack exclaimed avidly, jumping off the patio and following close behind.
“Let's hope you're right, Applejack. Come on everypony!” Twilight called out before galloping towards the farmer and her canine companion. The other mares followed behind on the ground, Rainbow Dash and Discord being the only two taking flight, as the little brown dog led them in the direction of Ponyville.
A small pile of coins thudded against a wooden kiosk, and a brown maned stallion slid his hoof across the surface, ushering them into a basket next to his hindlegs. With his payment secure, he scooped up a helping of vegetables and placed them into the saddle bag splayed across the grayish haunches of the blue maned mare who had just paid him. The stallion waved her goodbye and she returned the gesture before turning to leave the Ponyville marketplace. Before she could take a proper step however, she froze in place as she saw a little brown dog walking past her, sniffing the ground intently. While the dog itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary, the mare found herself staring curiously at the apple farmer, the group of ponies and most certainly the draconequus towering over all of them.
“'Scuse us.” Applejack said to a group of unaware ponies chatting in front of them, catching their attention and their surprise as they scurried to the side to permit them space to advance. “Sorry. Comin' through! Pardon us.” Pony after pony moved out of the way, staring aghast at the peculiar group forging through the town market.
“I still can't believe she was able to break the stair post and get away.” Discord muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as his wings carried him through the air.
“I still can't believe that YOU put a spell on the princess to make her think she was a dog.” Twilight berated as she turned her shoulder to look at him. “And what's more, you tied her up on a leash and left her by herself!”
“Well, she was acting like a dog!” Discord exclaimed in protest, his arms flying out to the side vehemently. “Shouldn't I treat her like a dog?”
Fluttershy swooped upwards from the ground, so that she was eye level with her draconequus friend. “You should have treated her like a pet, Discord.”
“What?” He asked skeptically.
“Fluttershy's right.” Applejack added in, still keeping her eye on the dog that was leading them in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. “I mean sure, animals don't think and act the same way ponies do, so you end up treatin' em differently. But when you got one of 'em as a pet, even if you're the one who's callin' the shots, you gotta treat 'em with respect.”
“AJ's right.” Discord turned his head to see Rainbow Dash flying closer to him, offering her own input on the topic. “Tank isn't just something I own; he's my buddy. Even if he messes up, I can't just make him feel like trash, you know? We all make mistakes now and then.”
“And no matter what kind of mistakes are made, everypony and every creature, shouldn't be made to feel like they're not worth anypony's attention. Right?” Fluttershy's words hit Discord hard. He felt his chest tighten, and his head slightly heavy even as he continued to fly. Upon reflection, Celestia making a racket of things in Fluttershy's cottage seemed hardly a trifle compared to the choices he had made in his long life.
“I suppose you're right, ladies.” Discord lamented, a defeated smile slowly forming as he looked to and from each of them. “In fact, I-!”
Before he could finish, a high pitched scream captured their attention. They all looked ahead at the sight of an skinny orange stallion, adorned in a white apron, bolting out from behind Sugarcube Corner.
“Hey, Mr. Cake!” Pinkie Pie called to the stallion as she bounced towards him. “Whatcha screaming for, huh?”
“Pinkie?” Mr. Cake turned his head towards the mare, who stared back at him inquisitively. “I-I was just throwing out some expired danishes, when I saw this-this-this THING rooting around in the dumpster!”
“The dumpster?” Pinkie asked, the others gathering around her. “Say, this thing in the garbage,” did it happen to look like a big white dog with a bit of turquoise on its back?”
“That was no dog, Pinkie. ” Mr. Cake recounted, his voice shaking with dread. “It was far too big to be a dog. It was a monster!”
While Mr. Cake explained what he had just retreated from to the group, Winona sniffed a few paces past Mr. Cake. She stopped in her tracks with her paw lifted slightly, staring intently towards the alley behind Sugarcube Corner, where their dumpster was located.
“I reckon we oughta take a look anyway.” Applejack declared, adjusting her hat before taking off in a gallop. “Come on y'all!”
Leaving the quivering stallion behind, the crowd hurried towards the alley. They stopped in their tracks upon viewing the rusty gray dumpster behind the bakery. The receptacle itself rocked back and forth violently as something rummaged around inside. All of the mares looked on wordlessly, until Rainbow Dash nudged Discord's arm.
“You call her.” she urged him quickly. The draconequus took an uneasy step forward, looking back for only a moment, only to see them wave their hooves, pushing him to get on with it. Taking a deep breath, Discord pursed his lips and let out a series of soft whistles.
“Here, Celly.” He called to the dumpster. “If it is you, of course. Come on girl. You in there?”
The movement in the canister stopped abruptly. Everypony in view braced themselves. They hoped with everything they had that it was indeed Celestia in there, but part of them feared Mr. Cake was right in describing the intruder as a monster. Their bodies stood rigid with anticipation for whatever was about to follow.
A moment of dreadful silence passed, and something burst from the surface of the open container, covered in a layer of slime and trash. The being shook itself free of the trash concealing its appearance, to reveal its stained white coat and messy glittering mane.
“Celestia!” Discord and the others shouted in glee at the sight of Equestria’s oldest princess. The alicorn herself responded with an open mouthed smile as she pulled herself over the edge of the can and bounded towards her owner. Discord himself took flight and leapt towards her with open arms. “You had us worried sick!” he exclaimed joyfully as he took her within his grasp and hugged her tightly. He felt himself overcome with relief and joy as he felt her force pushed against his chest.“Oh thank goodness you're safe.”
And though for all the world he wanted to hold onto her forever more, a very rank and foul odor invaded his nostrils. All at once, he became aware that he was hugging a pony who had been swimming in Mr. and Mrs. Cake's garbage for who knew how long. Just as quickly as he had wrapped his arms around the princess, he pulled back and looked downwards in disgust.
“Euaagh!” Everypony retched in response. Rarity had her hoof pressed to her mouth, in an effort to fight the urge to vomit. Celestia however sat back on her haunches, looking as happy as a pony who believed herself to be a dog could possibly be.
Fluttershy hovered towards the ceiling of her bathroom, a small bucket of water in her hooves. She gently emptied the bucket over a soaking Princess Celestia standing in her small bathtub, her ethereal mane weighed down by several ounces of water. Her face exhibited the most piteous look of heartache towards the pegasus. Just from the look on her face, one might think Fluttershy was administering the most cruel form of torture on her within the porcelain basin which she stood.
“Now don't you give me that look,” Fluttershy chided her jovially, as she grabbed a towel to begin drying off her fair white coat. “It's for your own good... your majesty.”
Outside of the bathroom, Discord and company took residence in her bedroom, the draconequus himself relaxing on top of the pegasus's bed.
“I still don't see why Discord doesn't just un-hypnotize her now.” Rarity griped as she busied herself with Fluttershy’s sewing machine, making repairs to some of Fluttershy’s older dresses. “Wouldn't it be easier for her majesty to wash herself if she was of sound mind?”
“Rarity, how would you feel if you woke up stinking to high heaven and finding out your best friends just caught you swimming in garbage?” Applejack asked her egotistically. The unicorn gave a fierce shudder in response. “Yeah, that's what I thought.”
Twilight Sparkle turned her head up from the pages of a book on international species of animals outside of Equestria. “I think it would be best if Celestia didn't know that we all saw her like this.” she said to all of the ponies in the room. “Let's just let Discord take her home, so she can regain her senses without any of us being present.” The bathroom door swung open, and Fluttershy poked her yellow head out to look towards them.
“Look who's all clean!” Fluttershy called out, before Celestia's large white form bounded out into the room. In a giant leap, she landed on Fluttershy's bed and dropped to her back, rolling about in an effort to push some of the water still clinging to her coat away. The group of mares laughed as they watched her antics, including Twilight herself.
“Princess! Not on Fluttershy's bed!” As Twilight spoke to her, Celestia righted herself on her legs, and stretched her head out towards the smaller alicorn. Before Twilight could react, Celestia's tongue lapped against her purple cheek, making her giggle fiercely. “Ah ha ha ha, stop it! Princess!” Twilight's wings flared upwards as her front hooves pranced in place. She managed to stand on her hindlegs, holding Celestia under her face as she smiled at her. “You stop being such an adorable puppy, or I'm gonna take you home myself, okay?”
“Oh yes Twilight, I can see you definitely don't approve of this new Celestia at all, do you?” Discord asked mockingly. Twilight's eyes widened and she forced herself away from the alicorn rather abruptly.
“I don't!” She retorted while a touch of redness appeared on her cheeks, and her wings promptly returning to her sides. “Just, get her home and back to herself, alright?”
“Yes yes, of course your majesty.” Discord replied in a rather irked tone. “After she gets back to the castle, she'll be back to her old majestic self.”
Fluttershy swooped to Celestia and stroked her mostly dry turquoise mane, which had just begun to regain its wavy motion. “Thanks so much for playing with us today, princess. I know all of our pets were so glad to spend time with you.” The other mares nodded in agreement.
“And we had fun too, Fluttershy. But it's time we got going.” Discord said, taking Celestia in his grasp and putting his claw underneath her foreleg as she panted blissfully. He gently waved her hoof back and forth towards the others. “Say bye-bye!”
With a light chuckle, the other ponies all waved back at Celestia, before she and Discord vanished with a magical pop in the air.
Discord and Celestia regained their form inside of her bedroom, adjacent to her round sofa. The room was just how they had left it hours ago, quiet and empty, with her large and warm fireplace burning brightly. Discord looked down at the princess, still clutched in his arms as she looked about with interest in the sudden change of scenery.
“What do you say, Sun butt?” He asked, lowering her hindlegs down to the floor so she could properly stand. “You ready to go back to being a princess yet?”
Celestia's eyes turned up to his face, before she lowered her head and stepped towards him. She rubbed the side of her head affectionately against his brown chest. Discord was caught off guard at the tender display, and chuckled as her soft white head tickled his furry chest. Celestia turned around, stepping onto the sofa at the center of her room. She dropped down onto her legs, then rolled over onto her back. She kept her legs opened, exposing her spotless white chest and belly to him, while staring towards him with a look of hopefulness splayed across her face.
Discord sighed in defeat, though still retaining a pleased grin as he stared back at her. “Alright, fine. No sense in spoiling a good thing, right?” Discord slithered through the air towards Celestia, joining her on the unoccupied space next to her. He lowered his right paw against her chest, rubbing the palm of it up and down in soft, quick strokes. He felt the alicorn's chest rise a moment in response to his administrations. She let out a soft breath through her nose, and stretched her forelegs out in satisfaction.
Discord brought his claw down, parallel to his paw, and scratched the space underneath her stretched foreleg. Bringing them back in, Celestia's body constricted. Her left hindleg began to move in quick circles, as if she were scratching at the air repetitively. Her teeth were bared in an eager smile while her eyes were closed, reveling in the sensation Discord provided her.
“Aw, do you like that?” Discord cooed to her in a playful tone as he sustained his embrace of her. “Do you wike havin' your widdle belly wubbed?” The draconequus felt himself enchanted by Celestia's responses to him. When he had first encountered her that day, he had come upon a mare burdened with more responsibility than any pony in the country, threatening to crack under too much pressure. Now, laid bare before him, her mind cleared of the frustrations of her royal title, Celestia was the best depiction of a happy, carefree being. It hadn't made sense to him before, but now he finally shared a bit of the envy she had expressed for Winona that afternoon. It was as if she had achieved a level of harmony unreachable to normal, sentient ponies.
“You are just too cute!” He praised her, lowering his head towards her neck and peppering her with quick playful kisses as he held her tight. “I didn't think you had it in you princess, but you're just the sweetest little thing when you're this happy.” Celestia moved her snout up and licked his chin appreciatively. She pulled away after a moment, and her mouth opened wide as a yawn squeaked out from her. “Yeah, I'll bet you're tired. You've had quite the adventurous day.”
Celestia dropped the side of her head onto the cushion, facing Discord. She lifted her right foreleg and draped it over his shoulder, her sparkling tail swishing upwards a few times. Looking into her eyes, Discord could feel the gratitude Celestia held for him. Whether it was a result of the spell or something deep within her, she was grateful for him. She saw him as somepony that looked after her, that held her best interests at heart. She felt safe laying next to him, sharing in the warmth his body provided her.
With her gaze still locked on him, her eyes began to drop. She fought slightly to keep them open, to look upon his bushy white brows and goatee. His paw brushed gently over her flowing mane, sprawled over her body like a blanket. She found herself looking into his bright yellow eyes as he pet her, and her heart was warm with affection for him. But eventually fatigue won out, and her eyes remained shut. With his paw still stroking her head, she allowed the embrace of sleep to overtake her, and temporarily whisk her away from the conscious world.
It started with a sense of heaviness, as Celestia became aware of her own breathing. She could still only see blackness, with a bit of light apparent near the bottom of her vision. With a bit of effort, she blinked her eyelids open, her mind still fuzzy and unable to process everything she saw. Feeling stiff, she rolled onto her back and stretched her legs out at both ends to push out a bit of the weariness clinging to her limbs. A hearty yawn escaped her chest, as she mentally pushed herself to resist the urge of going back to sleep.
Aside from some grogginess upon waking up, Celestia realized that she felt strangely happy. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her wings, and her soul had been liberated, made light and airy. It had been many years since she had felt so at peace with herself, and her responsibility over Equestria. She wondered why on Earth she felt this way, when the last thing she remembered was how she had hated her position for everything that it was worth.
Forcing herself to lift her head up, she looked forward and noticed that she was looking at her bed, on the other side of the room. She looked down at her forelegs, noticing the rose colored cushion she laid upon.
“Oh goodness,” she mumbled, smacking her parched lips together as her mouth worked to moisten them up again. “How long have I been out?”
“Ah, that's the first time I've heard you speak intelligibly all day.” A charismatic voice rang out from beside her. Celestia looked to her left, towards the mural of the purple comet in the sky surrounded with tiny stars. She smirked as she noticed a stained-glass depiction of Discord next to one of the tiny balls of light, an iron golf club in his grasp. He swung it up over his shoulders and took a mighty swing, knocking it up and against the edges of the portrait, where it bounced around several times until landing at the center of the large comet: a hole in one from what she could see.
Discord disappeared from the portrait and reformed himself in the third dimension again, leaning over the edge of Celestia's sofa. “So, you decided you've had enough of your dog day at long last?”
Celestia looked perplexed for a moment, until images and sensations began to return to her memory. She could only remember bits and pieces at a time, her slurping food out of a bowl with her name on it, and romping around joyously with another excited and carefree furry spirit. But she remembered without a doubt her last memory before all of those events had transpired, most notably the request she had made to Discord. But what he had just said didn't make any sense to her: she had decided she'd had enough?
“I don't understand... you're the one who hypnotized me. Wouldn't I be at your mercy to turn me back to normal?”
“Well it's true, I did hypnotize you. However, that was only to get you to go to sleep. And while you were passed out, I tried something I've never tried before.” Celestia cocked an eyebrow suspiciously as the draconequus went on. “I delved into your subconscious, and tweaked a few things to make you lose your inhibitions. Part of you was still a little embarrassed of what you wanted to do, so I just knocked down those walls keeping you cooped up, that way you were free to do whatever your heart desired.”
Celestia sat in awe of the revelation he'd made in that moment. When she had proposed the idea to him, she had imagined that he was going to make her his puppet in a sense, even if it was for non-malicious reasons and only temporarily. What she had just learned to be the actual cause for her altered behavior was perplexing to say the least.
“Are you telling me that everything I did today... it was a result of my own free will?”
“Well, you got a serious push from yours truly, but yes, it all came from something that was actually inside you.”
“Eating out of a bowl?”
“Yes.”
“Chasing after animals?”
“M hm.”
“Erm, what about in the park, when I-?”
“Yeah, that too.” Discord replied, looking away from her, as the alicorn's cheeks burned with shades of red. “Hey, come on, don't be embarrassed. “ He reassured her, hopping over the couch to sit next to her. “What matter is putting your senses back in perfect harmony. And from what I can sense of you, I think your little adventure today did just the trick.”
Celestia took a deep breath to regain her composure, and allowed herself a satisfied smile. “I think it did too.” She replied, lowering her head in a humble fashion. “And I am grateful that a friend like you were responsible for making that happen, Discord.”
Staring back at her, Discord felt the back of his neck tickle, and reached back with his claw to scratch it. “Don't mention it.” he said modestly, before standing on his legs. “Well, I should get going.”
“Don't be a stranger to me anymore.” Celestia reminded him as she stood to her hooves, and wrapped her wings around him. “You're welcome to visit me anytime you wish.”
Discord lowered his head and wrapped his arms around her long and cozy neck. “Thank you.” He said to her softly. After a moment, they stepped apart and he waved his paw at her. “See you around, Sunny.” In the blink of an eye, a small burst of magic rang out, and he was gone without a trace.
With Discord gone, Celestia stepped towards her bed, where her golden adornments had been laid out by her mischevious friend. She used her magic to hover them back into their proper place upon her body, but paused when she looked at one of her shoes. Tucked in the sole of one of them was a scroll of parchment. It had to be from Discord, but she didn't understand what it could be. After placing her hoof in the last shoe, she unraveled the parchment, and her eyes poured over the words written on its surface:
Dear Princess Celestia,
I never thought I would be writing one of these to you. I used to think they were too mushy for my taste. But I'm proud to say that I've pushed away my pride, which has allowed me to express myself in ways that don't involve turning reality upside down.
Today was meant to serve your needs initially, but I ended up taking something away from the experience as well. While it was for the most part a lovely experience, some mistakes were made along the way. Thankfully, the elements of harmony did their part to remind me that nopony should ever be made to feel like they're less than worthwhile if they screw up. Every mistake made in life is a learning experience, which helps shape us into somepony better than we used to be.
Your friend, the spirit of mischief and mayhem,
Discord
Celestia finished reading the letter with a warm sense of satisfaction. She magically yanked a large chest from underneath her bed, and opened the top to reveal a neat arrangement of brightly colored folders, each bearing the name of a pony who had learned an important lesson in friendship ever since Twilight Sparkle made Ponyville her permanent home. Pulling an unnamed folder from her desk, she embroidered the name Discord at the top. She slipped his letter inside, and put the new folder in to join the others, his right in front of Fluttershy's.
A knock rang out from Celestia's door just as she slid the chest back under her bed. “Who's there?” She called out casually.
“It is I, sister.” Luna's voice called through her door. “May I come in?”
“Of course Luna.” The door opened and the dark alicorn stepped through, her bat-winged guards waiting outside for her. Celestia looked upon her sister, her head hung low and visible bags underneath her eyes. “Luna? Are you alright? You don't look so good.”
Luna's tired eyes looked up frustratingly towards Celestia, a grimace forming as she struggled to keep herself in check. “Well forgive me, Celestia; I'm sorry if I don't look as good as you do after pulling a double shift.”
“A double shift?” Celestia repeated in a clueless manner. “What on Earth would you do that for?”
“I’ve been covering for you!” Luna exclaimed, her voice weighted with fatigue. “ I was asleep for only a few hours when I heard a knock on my door. One of your guards tells me that you're ill and that the castle needs a princess to keep things running smoothly, so-” Luna stopped mid sentence, and her mouth opened wide as a yawn escaped her mouth. She rose a hoof to her face and then shook her head to keep alert before she continued. “ So, I was forced to take the reigns in your absence. I’ve had so much coffee today, I feel as if my veins might be coursing with the stuff!”
Celestia felt a lump catch in her throat as she listened to her sister's woes. Her heart was wracked with guilt as she cursed herself for over-looking the fact that her canine curiosity would leave an empty throne in Canterlot Castle. Even if she neglected her responsibilities for a day, somepony was going to have to take them on for her. And it seemed poor Luna had reluctantly stepped in to fill her absence.
“Luna, I am so sorry!” Celestia grieved to her sister emphatically. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
Luna took a deep breath and shook her head. “These things happen. Just as long as you're well enough to lower the sun while I raise the moon.”
“Of course Luna; I'd say I'm right as rain now.”
“Wonderful. Oh, and if you could please please PLEASE watch over the night for just a few hours. I only have enough strength in me to raise the moon, I'm already close... to...” Luna's head dipped forward and leaned against Celestia, and the mare began to take slow, unconscious breaths against her.
“Um... Luna?” Celestia called, poking her sister's mane.
The princess of the night jumped away with a snort, and shook herself awake. “Moon! Right, moon, going up, let us make haste. I'm fine.” Luna trotted quickly to the windows of Celestia's room, leading to the balcony. She opened them abruptly, and accidentally let in a group of birds who had been fluttering around on the outside. “Oh drat. Apologies sister. Begone, you pests. Shoo!” Luna bellowed at the feathered creatures who had parked themselves on the edge of Celestia's bed. They seemed to be unaffected by the volume of Luna's voice shouting at them.
Luna had just raised her hoof, preparing to swat at them, when she heard a growl from across the mattress. The noise not only captured her attention, but that of the birds as well, who turned towards the source.
Celestia stared towards the small, uninvited creatures in her room. Her throat rumbled angrily as she stood with her rump in the air, her chest near the ground as she bared her teeth menacingly. If they weren't going to leave, then she would have the pleasure of snatching them up in her jaws in the blink of an eye.
“Arf! Arf arf arf!” Celestia barked viciously at the birds. They jumped from the end of her bed in fright, a few feathers knocked loose as they flapped their wings in a hurry towards the window and out into the twilit sky. Celestia gave chase towards them as she barked, and growled until they disappeared from her sight.
The glaring silence in the air brought Celestia back to her senses. She turned to look over her shoulder, at the mare who stood behind her. Luna's tired eyes remained wide open, as she struggled to comprehend the sight she had just witnessed before her.
“Heh heh... whoops.” Celestia uttered as she smiled bashfully back at Luna.