//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Complications // Story: An Unprecedented Advancement // by GravelordNito //------------------------------// "Well..." Twilight mused carefully as she brought her little hoof to her muzzle in contemplation, scrunching her face up adorably as she searched for a golden thread in the blizzard of her mind. "Well...?" Discord reciprocated, raising an eyebrow in expectation, "I was thinking we could maybe just go for a walk around Ponyville and go visit some of m - our friends!" Twilight beamed hopefully up towards the draconequus. "After all, since we're all made up now after the Tirek incident, I think it would be good for you to spend some time bonding with some familiar ponies." Twilight nodded her head as she looked away from Discord, seemingly pleased with her decision, as it was for the betterment of everyone that Discord furthered his reformation. Plus, some time around the elements of honesty and kindness in particular may help in uncovering what Discord is currently scheming with all these advances... Twilight, you're a genius! Twilight's blank expression warped into a slight grin, rubbing her hooves together as she basked in the satisfaction of finally having a somewhat concrete plan. Discord's eyebrow continued to rise as he looked down at his favourite mare in bewilderment. Just before his eyebrow made it out of the stratosphere, Discord shrugged off Twilight's strange behaviour and allowed her proposal for their day together to dawn on him. Discord visibly shrank and slumped as fantasies of various private romantic outings skittered out of his ears and across the floor; they looked like nothing other than crystal balls of a misty hue, revealing their contents only to those who understood the perspective of their owner. Reaching slowly down to retrieve them, Discord tentatively placed his favourite ones into his new knapsack that had the words "shattered hopes" written across the front of it, sniffling exaggeratedly as he did so. Having recovered from her own bout of madness in record time, Twilight watched the draconequus with a bemused expression, before carefully saying, "Okaaay then..." as she slowly rolled her eyes over to her left, turning away from the Mad God before setting off towards the town centre at a hurried pace. Snapping back to reality with a crack of his neck, Discord twisted to his left and set off in pursuit of Twilight, easily matching her brisk pace as he dejectedly mumbled to himself about the things he does for these blasted pastel ponies. ---------- After less than a minute of walking, Twilight spied a familiar rainbow coloured streak coming to rest on a cloud nearby, "Rainbow! Over here!" Twilight shouted excitedly as she flagged down her friend, waving her hooves with a conviction that only a mare on a mission could muster. "Hey, Twilight, what's up?" Rainbow Dash asked as she quickly zipped down towards Twilight, landing on the ground with a soft *thump*. "Well, Rainbow; Discord and I were just going for a little walk and decided to stop you and say hi!" Twilight grinned nervously, glancing up at her chaotic companion in hopes that he was actually displaying some interest in the situation at hand. Discord was holding his talons in front of his muzzle, polishing them with his own breath while holding a half-lidded expression on his face. "Why are you hanging out with him?" Rainbow asked venomously, glaring at the draconequus. Looking back towards her rainbow-coloured friend, Twilight could have sworn she heard a snapping noise somewhere nearby, but quickly shook it off and regained her focus. "Oh, cool. Now tell me something I don't know, egghead," Rainbow spat coldly, as Twilight felt all the warmth drain from her cheeks. "O-Oh, well, uh..." Twilight's ears flattened against her head, taken aback by her friend's less than friendly greeting, before she noticed that Rainbow's coat had lost a little of its usual vibrancy. No, it can't be... Upon this realisation, Twilight felt her fury bubble up like an overflowing kettle, as she turned towards her companion with pure murder written across her face. "DISCORD!!! Haven't you learned your lesson about manipulating ponies?! How dare you control Rainbow Dash like that again?!" Twilight's horn pulsed and shone with the wrath of a thousand armies threatening to erupt from its tip at any moment. On impulse, Discord snapped his talons as he looked at the mare in shock. Her horn disappeared in an instant, and every bit of threat she had posed to him was now gone. "I don't know what you're talking about, Twilight, my dear! Honest! It was just a little joke; nothing serious!" Discord pleaded, unable to meet her glare as he held up his arms in an attempt at feigning helplessness. "Woah, woah, hold up now, guys, what's going on here?" Rainbow asked, wincing as she placed herself between the pair, the colour having returned to her cyan coat. Twilight continued to glare at Discord, before sighing sadly and looking at the draconequus with what could only be described as intense disappointment. "You know, I was hoping I would actually be wrong about you for once..." Twilight muttered, as she turned and began to walk away, hanging her head towards the floor as she did so. "Twilight, you know I can't simply mind control ponies like that! It takes time to corrupt someone; you know this!" Discord pleaded, which caused Twilight to slow her pace and eventually come to a stop as she lent him an ear. "Okay, I'm done with whatever this is; you guys have fun, alrighty? I've got to practice, uh, flying stuff!" With this, Rainbow excused herself hurriedly, barely sparing a backwards glance at the mismatched pair. An uncomfortable silence lingered between the two, and as Twilight finally turned to Discord after what made his millennia trapped in stone feel like a mere minute, Discord felt his discordant heart split in two as he was greeted by a set of dead eyes that regarded him with nothing but contempt. "I'm listening." Twilight deadpanned, before tapping a hoof to her forehead in a demanding manner. One quick snap of some talons, and the trusty appendage reappeared on her head. "Okay, I admit it, I may have influenced Rainbow a little bit just to see your reaction... I swear on my beautiful beard that I did not take control over Rainbow, as that would be impossible. I just gave her a tiny little push with some unpleasant imagery, is all..." Discord felt torrential waves of regret pulsing through his veins in this moment, as what he had genuinely intended to be a quipping joke had turned into an unholy mess of anger from the pent up princess. Good going, Discord, you really know how to please the ladies! What a perfect way to start off your day together with your favourite pony; high five! Discord sarcastically berated himself as the curse of his own personality set him back to where he started once again. If it weren't for him being the way he was, he would have never had even the slightest issue ruling this entire world by now; how would the pastel ponies fight back when he is able to strip them bare of their magic: the only thing they have against him? Yet his arrogance caused him to play games, set self-restrictive rules, and always honour a disadvantageous agreement, even if it was in his power to avoid doing so. Much like this current situation in which he found himself, he always ended up losing as a consequence. What happened to the suave charms I've spent millennia honing when I need them most?! Why must I always play games?! As Discord grated his teeth together angrily to himself, Twilight simply continued to watch in silence, as white flakes began to fall from his mouth. With an exasperated sigh, Twilight stood up to her hooves, "I'm sorry for overreacting, Discord. Just please, don't do things like that; it's not smart considering what has happened recently." "Oh no, don't be sorry, my dear. Although your reaction was mildly amusing, I should not have done such a silly thing. She doesn't remember the incident anyway, thanks to yours truly. You are r-r... r-r-r," Discord was struggling to say what he felt it was appropriate to say, all things considered, "r-right... You are right, Twilight." Twilight's eyes once again lit up as she saw genuine remorse written across the draconequus' face. Well, I suppose he'll always still be Discord... With a more contented sigh, Twilight accepted the apology; it wasn't an 'I'm sorry', but it was good enough for her coming from Discord. "So, I suppose we should get going. You hungry? I guess we could pay Sugarcube Corner a visit next, if you'd like?" Twilight asked, her usual sparkle back in her demeanour. Discord looked towards the mare with hope in his eyes, and with his cheeks tugging at the corners of his mouth, he teasingly said, "Oh, if we must..."